To End All Wars
by Sith Lord Darth Revan
Summary: That Halo KOTOR Crossover I've been wanting to write. FINALLY Updated....
1. Prologue: Forerunners and Infinite Empir

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Explanation: The Meatbags and the backdrop featured in this story are characters and events from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Halo video games and novels. Its always been a hope of mine to write a Halo/KOTOR crossover and I'll give this one a try I suppose. Mainly in the Halo universe shortly after the Fall of Reach (The first game.) Also set right before Malak's betrayal of Revan in the KOTOR universe. To clarify Malak still has his jaw.

Prologue: Forerunners and Infinite Empires

The Flood, a terrible and relentless parasite was the creation of the Forerunners, a group of technologically advanced alien beings that predated all other intelligent life within the Milky Way Galaxy. In their simplest form, the Flood resemble pale yellow-green pods with tentacled limbs that allow them to scuttle and leap across the ground. The more complex second form of the flood occurs when the pod attaches itself to a living being of a larger size who's DNA matches the pod's preference. Merging with the living being, the Flood pod burrows itself deep within the chest cavity of the being and in a slow and agonizing process, takes over the being's life functions. If permitted to fester and grow, the Flood can adapt to new forms, large carrier pods which explode on contact, sending the smaller pod forms out to attack and take over whatever matches they can find who's DNA is compatible and free of disease. The Forerunners genetically engineered the Flood to assimilate the knowledge of its host forms, allowing the infectious beings the rare ability given to few artificial life forms. The ability to adapt and learn.

At first, the weapon, used on an alien invader from another galaxy who's ships and weapons and numbers vastly surpassed the Forerunners was a great success. With the Flood infecting and killing and controlling its victims, it quickly decimated the invading forces of the alien imperium known simply as the Infinite Empire, who's borders spanned many galaxies. Confined to their own galaxy by lack of technology and their relative youth on a universal calender, the Forerunners remained behind in their home while the Infinite Empire retreated from the horrible disease that decimated their forces. In an attempt to destroy the Flood, the Rakatans, as the masters of the Infinite Empire were called created a deadly virus that killed all who held the correct genetic markers to allow Flood transplantation.   
The effect of the Infinite Empire's new defense was instant. Untold billions of Rakatans fell ill and lost their connection to the power that allowed them supremacy over the lesser sentients of their galaxies. A terrible miscalculation created a virus that killed only Rakatans holding the genetic markers and as it spread through the four galaxies under the control of the Infinite Empire, killing the Masters, it left the slaves and lesser sentient beings the machinations of their former Masters. Using the Rakatan's weapons against them, the slaves revolted and overthrew what few remained of the Rakatans after the terrible malady passed over their corner of the universe.

With their enemies defeated, the Forerunners celebrated and in their joy left the Flood unchecked. The Flood adapted to the violent nature of its choice host form, the Rakatans and soon began attacking lesser creatures and adding to their numbers before turning and devouring their creators. Unable to reason with the parasite, the Forerunners retreated from their creation, given violent glimpses of the horror they had sent against their enemies. The Masters became the food for the parasite as it expanded, consuming the Milky Way and the core.

In a desperate attempt to stop their creation, the Forerunners created the great ringworlds. Weapons filled with vibrant plant and animal life to attract the Flood to them. Deep within the bowels of the artificial ringworlds, the Forerunners hid in their refuge, drawing the Flood in until they activated the ringworlds. From the ringworlds rose a great tide of energy, burning the Flood to ash and moving outward to all corners of the galaxy, consuming the deadly parasite as well as its food. Emerging from their shielded havens, the Forerunners were assaulted from the few Flood forms that had reached the interior of the ringworlds and soon became the new hosts to the Flood. Measures had been taken, however and the underground facilities deep within the ringworlds sealed the Flood within, their artificial intelligent monitors moving within the facility and driving the Flood to holding cells, where they hoped to study the parasite for the reasons for its rebellion from their masters. Over time, the Forerunners became nothing more than dust and the only monument to their passing left behind, the ringworlds and their great, forgotten cities that dotted the galaxy.

In another galaxy, far away from the self-created apocalypse of the Forerunners, humans taken from a primitive world in the Forerunner's home galaxy rose in the ashes of the Infinite Empire, using their Master's technology to settle on countless planets and after many millennia the origins were forgotten, the human and the alien slaves of the Infinite Empire forgot their harsh enslavement and became the masters of their galaxy, free of the Flood. Over time, the power that the Infinite Empire's masters wielded also fell into the hands of its former slaves and the Force as it became known in their home galaxy brought forth great champions and great villains, each wielding the power of the Force and twisting other's and their surroundings to their needs.

In the Milky Way, the home of the Forerunners, an alien force rose in the ashes of the ringworlds' destructive wake. The Covenant Hegemony rose slowly, its founders a highly intelligent but physically weak alien life form that came to call itself the Prophets. First to join the ranks of the Covenant Hegemony were the towering aliens that occupied the Prophet's section of the galaxy, the largest being called Brutes and the smaller became known as Elites. Powerful and ruthless beings driven by love for war and religious fervor that bordered on insanity they became the backbone of the Covenant. Next to fall under the Covenant's holy hand were the Jackals, a bird-like alien biped with limited intelligence but ruthless cunning. After the bird-like Jackals came the hulking Hunters and the insectoid Drones, floating pods known only as Engineers and small, canine-like bipedal Grunts, each holding a purpose within the Covenant and each loyal to the death to their holy brotherhood.

On the other end of the galaxy the only other group of sentient life rose from their primitive world and conquered dead worlds, terra forming them to their needs and creating hundreds of colonies that spanned their section of the galaxy for nearly four centuries unchallenged. The humans of Earth, a relatively young planet to which the species was indigenous; moved steadily across a dead galaxy, bringing life to worlds cleared of it by the Forerunner's desperate last stand. The Covenant and the Humans; humans who eventually and often times reluctantly formed under a banner of Earth, uncovered the great facilities of the Forerunners, the humans finally knowing they were not alone, though suspecting the creators of the great devices and cities were long dead and the Covenant, finding a new dogma to follow. The Forerunners became a curiosity to the still quickly advancing humans and gods to the steadily growing yet slowly changing Covenant. Earth's military, the UNSC, United Nations Space Command, their protectors and enforcers patrolled the many human colonies that struggled and expanded within the galaxy, often times forced into violent solutions to often times trivial problems. It was inevitable that the two organizations would meet and upon sight of the humans, the Covenant killed them, their religion demanding the humans pay for desecrating the holy relics and cities of the holy Forerunners and interfering with the Great Journey, the Covenant's road to the paradise their_ gods_, the Forerunners took.

In the year 2525 by the Earth Military calender and set during the Covenant's 9th age of Reclamation, the inevitable war between the Covenant and Humanity began. Harvest, a relatively new colony to humankind held a population of three million and with the arrival of the Covenant battle group which consisted of seven, perhaps eight ships, dropped quickly to zero at the Covenant's subsequent glassing of the world. Six years would pass before the UNSC would launch a counterattack to the Covenant's invasion. Twenty ships under the command of Vice Admiral Preston Cole jumped into the Harvest system in 2531 and assaulted the Covenant Forces, emerging victorious in the end, with the complete destruction of the Covenant force and the loss of all but a third of the UNSC vessels. It would be a bitter, and hard won victory for humanity and the first on a short list that would grow shorter when compared to their defeats over the next two decades as the war moved on, a slow extermination of the human Outer colonies as the Covenant made its way towards the human stronghold of Reach and the human home world of Earth.

Galaxies away, the relics left behind by the Infinite Empire were changed to meet the needs of the newly growing galaxy. Wars of countless casualties and massive scales brewed and were fought and won and lost and time went on as the years passed, until at the end of one such war, a small group of that war's heroes, Jedi Knights as they were called, stumbled upon the centerpiece of the Infinite Empire, the Star Forge. The mighty structure of the Star Forge dominated the Rakatan system and even though thousands of years had passed, so to did the dark side of the Force. So powerful was the influence of the dark side of the Force that the heroes of the previous war, known as the Mandalorian wars; swore fealty to the symbol of evil in their galaxy. They swore fealty to a Sith Lord who rose amongst them and called himself Darth Revan.

It was not only the dark history of the Rakatan system that clouded the judgement of those Jedi Knights, but also the influence of the True Sith, beings of great power and skill and hatred, who's memory extended much farther into the past than those of the young Jedi whom they fought so furiously with for control over the Star Forge. So long, was the memory of the Sith's primitive ancestors, who recalled a great enemy that threatened the might of the Infinite Empire that it intrigued Darth Revan, the former hero and High General of the Republic's Third Fleet. At the behest of Revan, the Sith turned their swords against the Republic they had once defended and in their eyes suddenly seemed so small and insignificant. In the pursuit of this war they turned their eyes to the ancient knowledge of the Rakatans, searching ever deeper for the secrets that led to the race's destruction in the hopes of turning it against the True Sith and the Republic.

The mirror image of the Sith Empire Darth Revan created to taunt and strike fear into the hearts of the True Sith remained dominant of the protected Rakatan system, a planetary disruptor field protecting the system from invasion from space. Two years of open warfare with the Republic would pass as the Sith Empire of Darth Revan rose almost unchallenged. After months of toiling and searching for the remnants of the ancient knowledge left behind, an unlikely location granted them the key to their ancient puzzle. On the frozen world of Rhen Var, there existed an ancient library which was buried deep under the ice plains of the once Sith Lord and Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma's final resting place. In that library was rumored to be a weapon that could destroy all life in the galaxy, in the universe and in search of that device, Darth Revan's Sith Empire unearthed an ancient device and an ancient map that led to another galaxy that promised a means to defeating the True Sith. Following the clues left behind and reconstructing the device, it was discovered that the device was an advanced hyperdrive motivator that allowed their ships to travel the vast dead zone between galaxies within an instant. Searching through the ancient records of the Star Forge, Revan's Sith uncovered a location, imbedded in one of the final military records of the Rakatan Infinite Empire. It simply told of a strange structure that the Rakatans believed to be the source of their enemies terrible weapons.

It was inevitable that curiosity would win out over and that Darth Revan would go himself, with his friend and apprentice, Darth Malak at his side to seek out this weapon. This weapon that could end all wars. This superweapon that would keep all the worlds of their galaxy and all the races at peace for fear of annihilation.

Of course, where there is evil, there can also be good. The Jedi, sometimes being the only line of defense against Revan's Sith moved quickly to counter their former comrades and though they paid a high price, stemmed the tide of the Sith's endless fleet. Battle Meditation, a technique in the Force that allowed a single Force user to sap the will of their foes while bringing confidence and unity to their own, seemed to turn the tide against Revan's war-hardened Sith, all veterans of the Mandalorian wars but then, all Republic soldiers were veterans of the Mandalorian wars. The Jedi had chosen to stay out of the bloody war, which some believed was the reason Revan and the Jedi that followed him turned and fell to the darkside of the Force but it was unknown to the Jedi how truly far Revan's plans extended.

Perhaps it was madness or perhaps genius but Revan had a vision to reform the galaxy under a single banner, so they could stand against any threat to befall them as they had the Mandalorians. The victory over the Mandalorians could hardly be called a victory. An entire world was destroyed along with millions of lives and in the end all that had done was destroy the Republic forces alongside the Mandalorians. Revan wanted that to change and an Empire under a single ruler who held the weaker ones to his will through fear was the quickest solution. Perhaps not the most morally good solution but it was the quickest and Revan needed unity if he was to stand against the True Sith.

Over the first year of the Jedi Civil War as it became known, the Republic send dozens of assassins and battle groups to destroy Revan, all of course succumbing to Revan's power or his massive fleet. By the second year the only hope for the Republic had been the Jedi Order, who had lost many of its younger generation to the Mandalorian wars. In fact not even a tenth of those that had gone with Revan to fight the Mandalorians had survived to turn on the Republic and only one had chosen to return to the Order, only to be turned away and Exiled.

The Jedi arranged several attempts to capture Revan themselves but most were quickly called off due to the overwhelming number of Sith ships. The only opening for the Jedi would either have to be a full scale battle, or when Revan was at his most exposed. Spies on dozens of worlds told that Revan and Malak were seen frequently arguing with one another over battle plans and the morality of their war. Malak couldn't stomach the war it seemed and if Revan lost his once strongest supporter, the new Sith Order would crumble. On Rhen Var, the opportunity for the Jedi to capture Revan and Malak would come. Revan had ordered nearly four fifths of his fleet to move on the Republic under the command of his second in command, Malak. Malak of course sent the fleet back to the Star Forge and chose to confront Revan on Rhen Var. Rarely did Revan send a battle group ahead of his own ship, Revan loved and loathed being in the heart of battle but he often said that leaders should lead by example.

Of course neither of the Sith Lords know the Republic was staging a full scale attack on their position and while still outnumbered, the Republic had a significant advantage in the form of a young Jedi Padawan who's abnormally strong connection to the Force gave her a phenomenal control over Battle Meditation.


	2. Chapter 1: The Not So Great Journey

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 1: The Not So Great Journey

Stuck in an packing crate on the flagship of the Sith Empire's loading bay in the freezing weather of Rhen Var was not exactly where Bastila Shan thought she would see herself at twenty one years. A Jedi Knight, maybe but not half frozen and worrying about her own breath as it came out in short little gasps. It amazed her how loud her own breathing sounded in the confines of that packing crate and the small amount of fog that rose from each pull of breath made her worries even more tangible. Afraid of triggering an alarm, Bastila remained encased in the crate for some time until her companions, consisting of two much older Jedi Knights and a single Master pulled her from it.

"Padawan Shan we need you to use your Battle Meditation as soon as the attack begins and we confront either Revan or Malak. Malak would be the easier target but we need to make certain they are separated or we will never defeat them. Revan and Malak together are undefeatable. Whoever presents to most open target we will take but we need to move quickly, and we need to-"

The Twi'lek Jedi Master paused, her lekku twitching as she sensed something through the Force. Turning quickly back to the much less experienced Jedi, the Twi'lek Master made a cutting gesture with her hand and lowered it to tell her companions to shield themselves within the Force and take cover. Within seconds all four Jedi were hidden and the sound of bootsteps echoed through the corridor.  
"Have these supplies checked and cleared within the hour. Lord Revan has ordered that we have enough supplies for an extended journey, eight months worth at least. We are going into unexplored territory and we have no means of sending for aid. Only two other ships have been outfitted and we can't spare anymore from the line."

One of the Sith mechanics listening to the silver-armored Sith Sergeant sighed loudly.

"In other words we're going to need enough parts to build a new ship and enough food to feed a million people."

The armored Sith's mechanically filtered voiced laughed through his comm, odd if not unsettling.

"Very good. Lord Malak will arrive shortly from the base and the rest of the fleet will be stationed to defend the excavation facility. We need to be ready for departure at a moment's notice. If something goes wrong and we're missing a power coupling you know who's going to end up dead, right?"

All mirth and weariness left the Sith mechanic's face as he stood as straight as a durasteel bar and saluted mechanically.

"It will be done, Sergeant."

The Sith Sergeant nodded, turning to the corridor to inspect the next supply shipment and coming to an abrupt halt. Shoulders rose and his spine straightened as the armored Sith snapped off a flawless salute.

"Lord Revan."

Revan acknowledged the Sith sergeant with a single nod, his masked features turning to inspect the cargo bay. It was one of the traits that made Revan so well-loved amongst his men. He did the same work they did, he led by example.

"Sergeant Fenlan, I see everything is in order. We will be leaving shortly after Malak arrives and the last of our supplies will be delivered by droid transports. A security issue has come up and I sense the Jedi are planning to move against us. We cannot risk having any outsiders discover our plans... information could be leaked and given to our enemies. Am I clear... Lieutenant?"

The Sith shifted slightly at the promotion but bowed deeply to Darth Revan.

"Of course, my Lord. We shall inspect all of the cargo containers for tampering and inform you of our progress."

Darth Revan nodded slowly, his hood obscuring his faceless mask as he turned and walked away. Revan's footsteps were silent as were those of the rust-colored droid that stood at his side. From where the Jedi watched the scene, shielded deeply within the Force and behind stealth field generators, they could feel a sentient presence within the mechanical droid that looked like a protocol droid, but at the same time, like a droid built for war. As soon as Revan was out of sight and the doors to the cargo hold sealed, the newly appointed Sith Lieutenant turned to his loading crew and barked off an order to search the containers.   
Acting quickly, the Jedi moved like shadows through the cargo hold, finding their modes of entry to the Sith's flagship and concealing all evidence of their existence before moving away from the Sith soldiers. Being discovered before the Republic fleet's arrival would put an abrupt and bloody end to their mission.

"The hold is clear, move on to the next and keep me updated. Soran, stay here and check back with me in fifteen minutes. Can't bloody well take any chances if Revan is being paranoid. Something big is coming and I have no doubt its an attack. We've been sitting here on Rhen Var for too long and the Republic can't be that blind."

Deckhand Soran saluted the newly promoted Lieutenant Fenlan and stood beside the door, his scanners within his helmet and his own senses not seeing the hidden Jedi as they passed around him and through the door as silent as a breeze of wind. Further down the hallway, Darth Revan paused, his shoulders straightening beneath his armor and battle robes in a barely perceptible motion. Behind him, Revan could sense the deckhands and the Lieutenant but also pockets of nothingness between them. That was strange. Turning and walking at a brisk pace, the Dark Lord of the Sith lowered his right hand to his belt, clasping his hand around his lightsaber hilt and reaching deeply within the Force, bombarding the area with his power as he searched. The Hunter-killer droid that stood at his side quickly mimicked its Master's caution, hefting its heavy blaster rifle and following the Dark Lord of the Sith in a quick yet crouched sprint. The hidden Jedi made their way quickly from the scene, realizing they had been sensed, or likely a trace of their presence had been sensed.

Lieutenant Fenlan paused in his march to the next loading bay when he saw Revan approaching, his masked features moving with his head as he did a quick visual check of the area. Raising his left wrist to his mask, Revan spoke into his wrist communicator to his bridge.

"Take off immediately, seal off the loading deck and prepare to vent the entire section once we reach orbit. Have Malak report to the _Interceptor_ instead of here. Alert all hands and ships to prepare for an attack."

Turning his masked features to Lieutenant Fenlan, Revan made a gesture for the man to activate his armored suit's emergency respirator. Fenlan nodded and did as his Lord commanded, returning to the loading bay and making the same gesture to his men who quickly obeyed and moved along the deck to warn their comrades. Reaching up slowly and activating his air reserves within his mask, Revan waited, concentrating wholly on the Force as the minutes passed. The air around him thinned as the _Revenge_ rose into Rhen Var's lower atmosphere and Revan's yellow eyes opened beneath his mask. The ship's inertial dampeners performed flawlessly and the only warning any interlopers to the Sith fleet's massive flagship's ascent was the sudden lack of air. Almost immediately, Revan activated his lightsaber and moved at a Force-enhanced sprint, springing on one of the intruders that panicked and dropped their mental shields.   
To an outside observer it merely looked like a black and red blur streaked past a pocket of air and that pocket of air materialized first into a severed head and then a decapitated body. The head rolled a few yards, coming to a stop abruptly and Revan's crimson saber followed the same path, intercepting the gleaming azure blade of the second Jedi Knight to invade his domain. With a flick of the wrist, Revan's saber slid along the blade of his enemy's, hissing in the vacuum as it sliced through the lightsaber's vulnerable hilt. In the same motion, Revan decapitated his second Jedi Knight. Further down the hall, Bastila Shan panicked as she was denied air and quickly scrambled for the breather strapped to her belt pouch. The sound of a lightsaber resonating along the deck of the ship was her only warning to having been discovered as she attached her breather and calmed her rushing heart. Bastila turned to see the Dark Lord of the Sith effortlessly kill two of her fellow Jedi in what could only be described as mechanical efficiency.   
When Revan's mask turned to her, Bastila Shan felt all of the blood rush from her face as her heart beat faster and faster, her breathing, only audible to her within the vacuum sounded almost deafening and knew she would have died if Master Tai'Shal, the Twi'lek Jedi within the strike team had not stripped her stealth field generator from her belt and charged Revan, her violet lightsaber burning within her hands. Unable to hear the first clash of the lightsabers, Bastila Shan did the only thing her instincts told her to and ran, as fast as she could without leaving a huge gap within the Force to the nearest air duct and climbed in, not looking back as the Jedi Master and Sith Lord fought.   
Feeling that she had given Bastila enough time to escape Revan's notice, Tai'Shal focused all of her energies on the battle as she quickly discovered her considerable skill with a lightsaber was no match one on one to Revan, let alone the group of Sith soldiers she could sense approaching from behind him. Revan of course was not going to allow her to escape and Tai'Shal was hard pressed to avoid the deadly red tip of his blade as it seared a path along her trailing cloak. The brown material fell to the ground, the Jedi Master throwing what remained of her cloak at Revan, who simply sliced it apart again, continuing his attack in the same, graceful motion.

As she felt the Sith soldiers taking positions behind Revan and awaiting his order, Tai'Shal called on the Force and took hold of one of the Sith mechanics, pulling him towards Darth Revan. The Sith Lord, sensing the attack rolled out of the way of the man as he flew past, colliding into a bulkhead and falling to the floor, motionless as his helmet cracked and began leaking precious air. Two of the Sith soldiers moved to help their comrade, while Revan stayed crouched where he had rolled to avoid the man. Slowly, Revan's mask rose from the deck to look up at the Jedi and Tai'Shal barely felt the warning within the Force before she found her violet blade locked against a red blur. To say Darth Revan was impressed would have been overkill. Revan was merely marginally surprised at his Jedi opponent's skilled Soresu stance.

"Repressurize the deck."

Revan's mechanically filtered voice ordered over his helm's comm line, civil and cultured like all Core accents but slightly rougher from an early childhood beyond the Republic. With slow precision, Tai'Shal moved her lightsaber in slow but measured patterns to intercept Revan's single crimson blade. The Jedi Master shook her head, mentally fighting down her fear as she recalled the lecture the Council had given her on Revan and Malak. If Malak were the more skilled with the blade and Revan could subdue him with his strength in the Force as was believed she knew her chances would quickly lower from bad to worse. Revan had not yet used his considerable power to attack, choosing instead to confront the Jedi traditionally with a lightsaber. She knew as soon as Revan grew bored with their battle that he would bring an abrupt end to the violence, likely with more violence.

In the back of Darth Revan's mind a small voice made a joke of sparing the Jedi for a sparring partner for Malak. The voice was analyzed and quickly cast aside in favor of the other that told to be cautious. Few Jedi would be able to intercept as many of his attacks as this one had, and he concluded that the Jedi before him was a Master, but what Master travels with two Jedi Knights and no apprentice. A strike team, a precursor to an all out attack and Revan suddenly felt the urge to end the battle as quickly as possible. Fighting down the urge, Revan relaxed into a more calm attack which while still deadly, presented the Jedi with more options that mere defense.

"A distraction, is it? Have more Jedi hiding about?"

Revan could see no tell in the Twi'lek Jedi's face, as he expected and he saw no slip in her defense. The Jedi did not, however exploit the opening he presented her and the Dark Lord of the Sith smiled in triumph under his mask. She was delaying him. Without pause from his strike, Revan's left hand came free from his lightsaber and opened into a flat palm facing the Jedi. Before she had time to throw up a barrier, Tai'Shal was thrown across the open space of the corridor behind her to land in a heap, pain lacing through her as she was suddenly struck by the invisible force of Revan's blow.

A lifetime of training took over and Tai'Shal shook away the pain and disorientation, her violet eyes snapping open as her pale yellow skin flushed with a rush of blood and energy as she called the Force to aid her. Too little and too late, however as Revan's crimson saber clipped the back of her left thigh and swung in a blurred arc to sever her weapon in two. Dropping to her knees in pain, the Jedi Master clenched her hand tightly around her destroyed lightsaber, her mind searching for the weapons of her fallen comrades. Two lightsabers flew from the belts of their dead owners and towards the Twi'lek's hands. A sound very much like a sigh came from Revan as he moved his active crimson blade up and decapitated his third Jedi, careful to leave the Twi'lek's lekku intact. The fight came to an abrupt end and the lightsabers fell from their paths to the floor, their clatters seemingly far away in the thin, yet returning air. Darth Revan stared down at the Jedi Master's corpse a moment before his lightsaber blade retracted and he returned his weapon to his belt, where a twin of it's intricate construction rested.

"Prepare the fleet and base for an attack."

Revan's voice sounded through his mechanical filter, indifferent as always. Doing a quick check visually and through the Force around him, the Dark Lord turned, leaving the bodies to be collected and stored for later burial to his soldiers as he made his way quickly to the bridge to oversee the coming battle. The rust-colored Hunter Killer droid seemed to look down at the corpses of the Jedi longingly before turning after its Master and following, looking almost like a petulant child, denied candy. From her hiding spot, Bastila Shan fought down the urge to tremble as she peered at her companions who had, just moments before been alive and well. The dismissive way Revan had killed them had chased from her mind all thoughts of her mission's success. She could not expose herself within the Sith Flagship by using her Battle Meditation without protection and she could hardly face Revan alone. After what felt like a lifetime the stale nothingness around Bastila cooled and she began shivering not from fear but from the chill of the recycled air around her. Shakily reaching to her breather, Bastila quickly removed the device, taking care not to gasp for breath as she took in a deep, steadying breath and placed the breather back within her belt pouch. Quickly removing her lightsaber from her belt, Bastila Shan slowly began crawling through the air ducts of the _Revenge _as the space around Rhen Var opened up in a cataclysm of Republic and Sith starships. Her first and foremost thought was to find a means of escape and then move to where she could use her Battle Meditation without leaving herself an open target for a Sith.

"Well this is just marvelous, Revan."

Darth Malak's voice called with a hint of static over the direct comm line to Revan's communicator. Darth Revan, resisting the urge to sigh kept his eyes locked on the battle. The _Injustice_, one of only three ships, including his own and Malak's that was equipped with the Rakatan's advanced Hyperdrive had met its end to three Republic light cruisers that managed to isolate the ship from the main fleet.

"They're trying to draw out our smaller ships, bring them back and cover them with the heavy cruisers and Interdictors."

Revan ordered, his eyes narrowing beneath his mask as they followed dozens of new information updates being relayed to his visor.

"Malak bring the _Interceptor _starboard to the _Revenge_ and have _Exar's Bane_ support the_ Talos Sphere _ and _Spice Forager_."

Malak and Revan's crews relayed and carried out Revan's commands, bringing some organization to the still-forming Sith line. The Republic had jumped into the system and began the attack almost the exact moment Revan entered his bridge. Malak's smaller but much faster ship moved into a defensive position around the Sith flagship, its shields deflecting most of the energy given off by the Republic ship's turrets while its armor absorbed the damage that leaked through its shielding.

"Charge the pulse lasers for a volley and fire."

Revan ordered. The order was quickly carried out and several armored plates slid away from the _Revenge's_ hull, revealing a dish-like weapon relay, charged with ruby-red energy spheres. The sound of a compressor firing resonated along the _Revenge's_ structure as five pulse lasers emptied their reserves into two Republic heavy cruisers, tearing through the shields and armor of the smaller vessels and causing their hulls to break apart. One of the Republic ship's reactors overloaded and the ship exploded, vaporizing its bulk as well as part of the other, dismembered ship. The second Republic cruiser merely spun uncontrollably as air and bodies and debris vented into space.

"Lord Revan, a Republic Interdictor-class cruiser is trying to flank us starboard and destroy the _Interceptor."_

One hand unconsciously curling into a fist, Revan checked his information before responding to his bridge officer.

"Open up out turboblasters along its side. Let them know who exactly they are trying to flank."

Words from a previous war that would have brought a smile to the officer's face were taken in without emotion and no hint of a smile.

"Underway."

The officer responded as a steady stream of red emerged from the _Revenge's _starboard side to strike the Republic's heaviest class capital ship. The shields of the Republic ship flared to a light blue as it absorbed the relentless assault of nearly a hundred ship-to-ship blasterbolts. Small black marks began appearing on the hull of the Interdictor as its shields were overwhelmed.

"Pulse lasers ready, Milord."

Revan raised a hand slowly, signaling the weapons officer to bear on the Republic ship flanking them.

"They've launched fighters and its turning abreast to charge us."

In the engineering section of the Sith Flagship a single Jedi Padawan did the only thing she could in the battle and severed a large power coupling. The lights flickered and went dark as sparks shot from the destroyed line and Bastila moved on quickly, trying to avoid the dozens of Dark Jedi on board the vessel. What good was one Jedi student against twenty highly trained and battle hardened Sith warriors.

"Sir, out engines are not responding."

Revan's jaw clenched as he raised his right hand to a small console built into his left vambrace. A small display appeared on the Dark Lord of the Sith's helm and he correctly deduced that they had been sabotaged. Reaching into the Force, Revan pinpointed the cause and sneered. He had missed one of the Jedi and this one was crafty.

"Divert power from-"

The bridge was dark for a moment before emergency lightning returned, offering a soft red glow to the crew to see by.

"Communications array has been damaged by the enemy ship."  
On board the _Interceptor_, Darth Malak stood at the bridge with a slight furrow to his brow as he saw his friend and Master's ship's ion engines cool.

"Get me a line to the _Revenge."_

Malak ordered, his eyes studying with some worry the Republic Interdictor that was slowly approaching his Master's ship.

"Open up with our Pulse laser on the Republic Interdictor's stabilizers."

The order was carried out and a red beam of superheated energy bypassed the Interdictor's failing shields and cut directly into its stabilizers. The Republic ship quickly lost its approach and began dropping into Rhen Var's atmosphere. Malak smiled slowly, his eyes not holding the gleam they would have during the Mandalorian wars, instead looking empty.

"Scratch the _Leviathan_ from the list of Republic ships."

The order, while an attempt at humor was still carried out and Malak tried first to raise Revan's crippled ship on his comms to determine why exactly the practically untouched ship was so heavily damaged. When that gave no response, Malak calmed himself and concentrated on Revan's presence, feeling his Master was calm, but focused on something within his ship.

"So you missed one."

Malak smirked, unconcerned that Revan could handle the situation and more concerned about the lack of leadership amongst the Sith line. Malak was not half the tactician Revan was but he was no fool either. Opening a fleet-wide order, Malak took control of the fleet and ordered the heavier ships to cover Revan while the smaller ships would move, under the protection of the larger ones to intercept incoming Republic ships. They could afford to wait, the Republic couldn't. Well, unless they had reinforcements coming with was something Malak seriously doubted.

On the Leviathan, Lieutenant Carth Onasi struggled to keep the ship in one piece while his friend and mentor, Captain Saul Karath stood behind him calmly, watching the rapid approach of icy terrain.

"Ninety percent of the crew is away in the escape pods."

A computerized voice informed the crew. Saul Karath nodded to the droid and turned to Carth.

"Come on, Carth. Your wife would never forgive me if you died on this bridge."

Carth's jaw clenched as he stubbornly tried to hold the _Leviathan _together.

"There will be another time, old friend."

Saul Karath began, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Quickly, to the attack craft. We need to reinforce the Jedi on the _Revenge _while we still have a fleet."

Knowing how much of a difference Bastila Shan's Battle Meditation could make in a battle, Carth grudgingly removed himself from his station and sprinted towards the attack craft that would lead he and most of the _Leviathan's_ crew onto Revan's flagship.   
"Have Admiral Dodonna give us a nice distraction."

Saul ordered to the droid before following his protégée. The Republic landing craft broke away from the _Leviathan _as it burned up slowly within Rhen Var's atmosphere. Turning its nose skyward the repulsors fired, stabilizing the craft as its engines burned white-hot, taking it at blinding speed back into space. The craft could sustain the high speed burst from its engine for only seconds before its engines would overload and it would only be able to move with its directional thrusters at a much slower speed.   
"May the Force be with you."

Admiral Dodonna said more to herself than the _Leviathan's _boarding craft. The fighters launched when the ship began to go down covered the uncontrolled craft and paid dearly for it. On board the _Interceptor_ Darth Malak's eyes narrowed as he saw the path of the ship, only one thought entering his mind. It had to be a suicide run, they were going to plant a bomb on Revan's ship and try to get away, or go down with it. Reaching into the Force, Malak found the bond he shared with Revan and passed along one simple thought.

_"Run"_

Darth Revan started a moment as Malak's voice echoed in his mind. Doing a quick check of the situation, Revan ordered his ship to do the only thing it could and activate the Rakatan hyperdrive. Before the _Leviathan's_ assault craft could crash into the _Revenge _and unload her crew onto the Sith flagship the _Revenge _burst away from the battle in a stretched blur, the only ship following the planetary jump being the only one that could follow her. Darth Malak's ship broke from the line, passing along a general retreat order and jumped, following the _Revenge_ into a galaxy far from their own.

For close to two years the Republic would not know what became of the Jedi strike team sent to infiltrate the Sith flagship, or of Darth Revan and Darth Malak. All the Republic would know would be two years of victories as the Sith Order of the Star Forge crumbled and fell away to infighting and their own fleet. The fate on those onboard the _Revenge_ and the _Interceptor _would be in the hands of their crew.

A galaxy away from the Civil war that was burning within the Republic and the Jedi Order, the world of Reach, the last remaining human stronghold that stood between the xenophobic Covenant and Earth was overrun by a massive Covenant fleet and subsequently bombarded from space with plasma based weapons. Along with the Fall of Reach came the fall of Earth's last true line of defense against the Covenant, a conglomeration of alien races that had been steadily committing genocide on all humans they encountered for nearly thirty years. The elite fighting force of the humans, the Spartan II's, of which only twenty-eight of the original seventy-five had been active during the Fall of Reach, twenty-five are present on Reach when the Covenant attacks and only two Spartans, John-117 and Linda- 058 escape on board the UNSC Destroyer _Pillar of Autumn_. John-117 being alive and well in his MJOLNIR armor, a fully encased advanced exoskeleton that gave its wearer speed and strength and protection. The Spartans were the only humans able to wear the advanced armor though, given the genetic alterations and training since the age of six. To anyone else the armor was a death sentence, crushing the user with the inertia of their own movements, enhanced by the suit.

The Spartans were Earth and humanity's last line of defense against the Covenant and by the time the _Pillar of Autumn _made a blind jump away from Reach to throw off the Covenant from their trail, only John-117 the Master Chief was still accounted for. Linda- 058 was pronounced clinically dead and placed in a cryotube where the UNSC would later try to revive her while the others were left behind on Reach, as the Covenant fleet slowly began bombarding the world with deadly superheated plasma and a dozen other ships pursued the _Pillar of Autumn._


	3. Chapter 2: The Sacred Ring

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 2: The Sacred Ring

"Report."

Darth Revan's voice asked calmly, slightly louder than normal due to the sound of minor explosions across the bridge of his ship. It took a moment but the disorientation amongst the crew of the _Revenge_ quickly left them and they moved to their stations with mechanical military efficiency.  
"Hyper drive is out as well as power relays to four of our five pulse lasers. Weapons are operating at a fifteen percent of normal charge and engines are cold although we still have maneuvering thrusters. Our fighter and transport launch bays are fine but the engine room is not responding. Whoever sabotaged us either knew where to hit us or they were extremely lucky."

Revan took in the information, shaking his masked head slowly.

"There is no such thing as luck, Captain. Only the Force. This was meant to be. Have fighter wings one through seven launch and do a quick visual check of our damaged systems. Then have them take defensive positions until we can repair the damage done to our ship. How are the sensors and communications relay?"

The captain of the _Revenge,_ a young Corellian by the name of Alai Desara shook her head slowly as she looked over the _Revenge's_ damage reports.

"That jump took out most of our engineering section and we're operating on reserve power. We'll need to unload and rebuild the core's operating matrix if we are to have the power. Then of course there is the physical damage as well. We've lost twenty seven men to either the infiltrators or the damage suffered and the communications array is going to take a good five or ten minutes to rebuild."

The Dark Lord of the Sith moved to the console, keying in a series of codes before agreeing with the Captain's assessment. Moving to the viewport, the Dark Lord of the Sith clasped his hands together at the small of his back, collecting his cape away from his surcoat before his eyes flickered to the image before him.  
"Get the sensors back online as soon as possible..."

Revan ordered, his voice quieter than normal but still heard by the crew. The crew, transfixed on their tasks until that moment finally looked up to see what had their Lord so distracted and gaped.

"What is this, Lord Revan?"

The Captain asked, coming to stand a step behind Darth Revan and to the left of the Dark Lord. Revan shook his head slowly, not certain what he was looking at but knowing it had to be a Rakatan or Forerunner installation.

"Whatever this device... this ringworld is, we're going to need our sensors to know if we can get any closer to that gravity well."

Revan's gloved hand extended to point at the rust-tan gas giant before him. A moon of violet orbited the gas giant and positioned directly between the two bodies lay a ring in space, blue and white and green and steel-gray against the darkness.

"Something... something is waiting here... hungry..."

Revan whispered to himself, unconsciously touching his gloved hand to the transparisteel of the _Revenge._ A wave of Force energy permeated the space around their ship and Revan breathed easier when he sensed the presence of his apprentice and his support ship.

"Use a low powered carrier signal and let Malak know its good to see him."

Revan called to his crew, his mind reaching deeply into the Force and coming up against only a blank wall for light years in all directions. Distantly, Revan could sense a boiling hunger within the Ringworld itself but beyond, far off like a sound echoing beneath seawater, he could feel death, billions of dead and dying spread on distant parts of the galaxy. Pulling away from his Force-trance, the Dark Lord of the Sith moved from the view of the ringworld, making his way to the lower decks to inspect the damage and begin his hunt for the intruder. At the end of the bridge stood a rust-colored assassin droid and Revan waved his hand to the droid, calling to it.

"HK-47, activate and begin search protocol. We have a Gizak in the nest"

The droid's eyes flashed crimson before dimming to orange and it rose its massive blasterrifle to its shoulder, turning and following its master with a distinct gait in its step, telling of overeagerness, even for its artificial life.

On board the _Interceptor_, Darth Malak rubbed his bald head, completely and totally perplexed by the sight before him. While the Star Forge had been an awe inspiring sight he had had a good two weeks to get used to the structure after trudging through the tropical islands of Rakata Prime with Revan and their band of Mandalorian War Veterans in their search for power. They had wanted the power to end war, and the Star Forge was a step on that path but they needed more and the massive ring before him sure looked like more.

"Perhaps this is what we are looking for..."

Malak voiced his thoughts aloud, his brown eyes quickly diverting from the ringworld and onto the _Revenge. _Stifling the nausea that overcame him as the Rakatan Hyper drive accelerated them to speeds unimaginable to even the best minds of the Republic, Malak reached within the Force, sensing what Revan had and shuddering.

"Bring us next to Revan's ship and keep our weapons and engines fully charged. We are strangers in unknown territory and we need both ships. Prepare our tractor beam to tow the _Revenge _if needed and keep me informed of any damage sustained to either ship."

The crew executed Malak's orders with the efficiency that had gotten most of them through the Mandalorian wars and the two Dark Lords of the Sith and the Sith ships waited, their fighters moving in patrols around them as they waited for the repairs to Revan's ship to be completed.

In the bowels of the Maintenance deck of the _Revenge,_ Bastila Shan felt the full weight of her situation fall upon her as her connection with the Force diminished significantly. She could no longer sense the steady presence of the other Jedi of the Order, or the interlacing networks of life that made the Force so clear. All she could sense were forty Dark Jedi and the indifferent crews of the two Sith ships as well as a nearby presence that seemed to exist yet not exist. She could not delve too deeply for fear of being discovered by the crew of the _Revenge_ but the Padawan felt a distinct yearning within the presence, a will to consume.

"Sensors have been restored as well as communications."

Darth Revan nodded absently, his inspection of the lower decks done quickly and his search for the intruder passed along to his assassin droid, HK-47. The Dark Lord of the Sith bent over a console, shaking his head at the sheer amount of damage done to his ship before a ripple within the Force caused him to look up from the console to the starfield in the distance. Revan's eyes narrowed and locked on a small flashing star in the distance. A surge of life energy filled the Force and Revan turned to his ship's Captain.

"Place first priority on shields and engines. Then weapons. Launch all fighters and make contact with the _Interceptor_, we're about to make a first impression."

In the distance, twelve blue-violet ships, looking more like some deep sea creature than actual ships tore from hyperspace, following the trajectory of the _Pillar of Autumn_ after it had fled the Battle of Reach and tracking its destination to the planetary bodies known simply as Basis and Threshold. Threshold being the rusty brown gas giant and Basis being the moon that stood opposite of the gas giant and the Ringworld.

"Sir we've been spotted, four ships moving to intercept us."

Revan turned to the ship's Captain, waiting for her to respond to her officer. The Captain quickly looked from the Dark Lord of the Sith to her lieutenant before hurrying to pass along Revan's orders to repair the ship's engines and shielding. Weapons could wait so long as they had their fighters.

"Malak on the line, Lord Revan."

Revan nodded, tapping a console and speaking to his apprentice.

"Unidentified ships are launching fighters, ours moving to intercept."

Revan shook his head, ignoring the interruption and speaking to Malak.

"Malak keep the _Interceptor _where it is. I don't think they've detected your ship yet. Keep it in the sensor shadow behind the _Revenge _ and hold until my mark. Charge the pulse laser and standby to launch an opening salvo of turboblasterfire."

Malak confirmed the order and did as Revan ordered, keeping his ship hidden behind Revan's as the violet-blue ships moved closer and closer. A garbled message played over the _Revenge's_ comm lines and the translators cleaned and replayed the message.

"We, the Covenant claim the Sacred Ring. Destroy the human filth and cleanse Halo of their taint."

Raising a brow at the communication, Revan turned to his Captain and then back to several non-human members of his crew.

"Is the pulse laser charged?"  
Revan asked, already knowing one was still fully functional. The weapons officer nodded and Revan pointed to the lead Covenant ship.

"Then send our regards."

An orb of crimson energy collected in a dish-like object before disrupting with concussive force into space and directly into the lead ship of the Covenant task force. A weapon that could cut a Republic ship cleanly in two even with its shields and armor fully intact impacted on the Covenant ship's shielding, causing the energy field to flare to brilliant golden before it collapsed and the beam continued into the Covenant ship, splitting the ship down the center. The Covenant ships immediately broke away, their shields glowing as their sister-ship exploded in a brilliant blue-violet flash.

"Give chase, Malak."

Revan ordered, the pulse laser already charging for a second shot at the three remaining Covenant ships within range. The _Interceptor _lived up to its name, rising like a shadow from behind the _Revenge _and firing its already charged pulse laser into the side of one of the fleeing Covenant vessels. Instead of being split down the center, the second Covenant ship to fall to the Sith's advanced Rakatan weapons simply exploded as its core was struck with a direct hit. The shields of the remaining two Covenant ships flickered and flared to bright gold before dispersing and Malak's ship moved with in quickly, its turboblasters spraying both ships with a steady stream of crimson turboblaster fire. Small fires erupted upon the Covenant ship's hulls, shortly followed by larger internal explosions as they took too much damage to even begin to challenge Malak's speedy craft.

"Break away, Malak and return to the your holding pattern while the fighters clean them up."

Malak did as ordered, his ship banking away from the fight and pulling away as the Covenant ships attempted to flee, their crews panicking at not only the superior firepower, but also the superior speed and maneuverability of their foes. One of the Covenant ships charged her plasma torpedoes, the red glow of the weapon unremarkable against the burning embers of her hull. An orb of superheated plasma shot out, tracking the _Interceptor._

"Malak you have incoming. Plasma based weapon, turn hard to port or you'll lose your engines."

Revan tensed slightly, watching the superheated plasma slowly track his apprentice's ship and watching as Malak turned into the deadly energy wave. The deflector shields of the _Interceptor _flared blue before collapsing and the plasma splashed against her armored plating, painting the gray hull black and orange. The orange cooled quickly in the cold of space before the glow dispersed, leaving only a massive scorch along the agile Sith cruiser.

"Sensors report minimal damage, though the shot took out the _Interceptor's _shields and absorbed a majority of the weapon's energy."

The Dark Lord of the Sith took in the information and raised his apprentice.

"I wouldn't suggest taking too many more of those, Malak."

Malak's voice grunted a reply, the former Jedi too busy trying to command his fighters to intercept the damaged Covenant ships. From the Covenant line, the Supreme Commander of the Covenant Fleet of Particular Justice, the fleet sent to destroy the human stronghold of Reach and Ship Master of the fleet's flagship, _Ascendant Justice_; gaped at the spectacle.   
_"Are you certain these are humans? Their Heretic weapons could not accomplish this... not even their Radiological devices are so efficient. Could these be Forerunners?"_

The Shipmaster, a tall Elite or Shangheili, stared blankly at the two ships that had already vanquished a third of his pursuit group and quickly shook away his blasphemous thoughts. The humans had obviously stolen the sacred relics of Halo and built these abominations.

_"Prepare to launch a full assaul-"_

_"Ship Master we have a new contact, the human vessel we tracked to this location. The unknown ships seem content to stay where they are. We should move to intercept these humans before they can desecrate Halo with their presence."_

The Fleet Commander clicked his mandibles in irritation, torn between revenge for his fallen brethren and the need to protect against even more humans touching the sacred ring.

_"Move to intercept the human ship. The **Ascendant Justice **will remain here to observe the battle with our already engaged forces. Fight with honor, brothers and show the human filth no mercy."_

The order was received and quickly carried out as seven of the remaining eight Covenant ships broke away to pursue the _Pillar of Autumn _as the UNSC cruiser fell from hyperspace and into real space.

_"Have the **Truth and Reconciliation **break from the battle and land on Halo to make repairs. The support ships will move to offer repairs while **Prophet's Will**__continues to engage the unknown ships..."_

The fleet commander of the Covenant force narrowed his eyes, searching the viewer for any hints of more human filth.   
_"Send word to the Prophets. The Sacred Ring has finally been uncovered, yet the humans taint it with their presence as they do the other holy worlds. We humbly request a battle group be sent to aid us in cleansing the human vermin."_

From the bridge of the _Revenge,_ Darth Revan calmly crossed his arms over his chest, watching as Malak's ship obliterated one of the two remaining Covenant ships to attack them. The fourth Covenant ship broke away and slowly lumbered towards the ringworld the Covenant communication identified as Halo.

"Malak, let the last ship go. We have more important things to worry about. How are your shields doing?"

A momentary pause followed before Malak responded.

"Minor damage to the ship from the alien weapon. Our shields are charged to fifty-seven percent and steadily rising. Whatever they used took out our shields but couldn't penetrate our armor. At least not while its energy was dissipating."

Revan nodded absently to his apprentice's train of thought. The alien weapon was powerful, but could not penetrate the Sith ship's advanced armored plating. Blunt physical force was required for that, something the powerful turboblasters of Republic capitol ships could deliver very well.

"It appears the remainder of the alien fleet is breaking off and... following something on the far side of the gas giant. Are sensors operating at that distance?"

Revan turned to his ship's captain while at the same time speaking to Malak. The captain nodded and quickly transferred a readout of their sensors to Revan.

"Primitive ship with... questionable hyperspace capabilities. Relatively slow but maneuverable and... single energy weapon consistent with mass acceleration technology... I can't believe it, Revan its using a rail gun..."

Malak's voice trailed off, his breathing audible over the comm line.

"Compared to the ships that attacked us its about as dangerous as a gizak..."

Dead meat, in other words. Revan shook his head, clearing away any emotion he felt at the prospect of an unwinnable battle. He'd had his fair share and learned and bled and he did not need a trip down memory lane. Drawing in a deep breath the Dark Lord of the Sith calculated the situation and turned to his ship's Captain.

"Captain Desara, priority to all system repairs. Ready the fighter wings for ship to ship combat and launch. Prepare the landing craft and the Fifth through Ninth Legions. Malak, have your ship begin charting the stars and this system for fallback points and anywhere we can jump. We're alone here and can't fight a war but I intend to find out what that bloody ring is."

Malak and the Captain both passed along their agreement, the Captain of the _Revenge_ moving to assist in the repairs to her ship and Malak continuing his holding pattern while his ship's scanner crew began charting the star layout, looking for any points they could use to calculate a hyperspace jump. In the landing bay of the _Revenge,_ Bastila Shan had packed away her Jedi robes and lightsaber and donned a silver suit of Sith armor with the Basic symbol for six, a V with a single I following it. The Jedi Padawan had little time to throw her bag over her shoulder when a Sith Lieutenant in crimson armor entered, his head doing a quick scan before seeing the disguised Jedi and ushering her out of the room towards the landing bay.

"Move it, soldier. Lord Revan has ordered all of the Sixth and that's you. Move!"  
Jumping slightly at the Lieutenant's rough voice, Bastila quickly complied, moving towards the loading bay in a near sprint. The Sixth Legion had loaded up several dropships by the time Darth Revan had reached the landing bay. Bastila stiffened as the Dark Lord of the Sith entered, pausing to inspect the lines of armored Sith before he walked along the wall where a long line of blaster rifles stood in a line. The Dark Lord's gloved hand slowly rose, brushing against the row of blaster rifles until Revan stopped, pulling a simple blaster rifle from the rack and moving towards the transports. Bastila felt her face flush and struggled to hide her presence within the Force when Darth Revan stood directly in front of her, tossing the blaster rifle at her. Reflexively catching the weapon, Bastila stared down at the rifle numbly a moment before looking back up to Darth Revan.

"Can't go down there swinging your helmet, now can you?"

Revan asked, his tone playful, if that was possible for a Sith Lord. The members of the Sixth Legion laughed and Bastila nearly stumbled over as an armored Sith beside her clapped her on the shoulders. Revan chuckled before turning and addressing all of his soldiers.

"Alright, here's the situation. We've reached the Forerunner Galaxy and go figure we were attacked right away by some overzealous religious aliens. We're going to land on an artificial space station... now you've all seen the Forge so no gaping, and we're likely going to be seeing some close combat. Fighters are supporting us while we repair the _Revenge_ and Malak on the _Interceptor_ is going to see if we can find a way out of here if needed. Any questions?"

The landing bay fell silent and the Dark Lord of the Sith nodded while Bastila Shan looked on in mute shock. He had almost sounded pleasant, like a commander coming to comfort his troops before a battle. The lines of Sith broke and rushed onto their dropships within moments, Bastila struggling to make it on board and look as if she belonged. What happened next scared her as much as it shocked her. Darth Revan climbed on board her transport, seating himself next to her and waving to the dropship's pilot to go. Revan was actually going into battle with them and Bastila fought down a shriek when Revan leaned over to her, laying a hand on her shoulder and whispering to her.

"First jump?"

Bastila nodded without thought, causing a chuckle to come from Revan.

"It won't be your last, I'll make sure of it. When did you get recruited?"

Searching her mind frantically for a response, Bastila simply went with what came.

"My ship was captured during the Raid on Foerost and I chose to defect rather than die."

Revan nodded, chuckling darkly.

"A good choice... at the time..."

When Bastila said nothing, Revan merely leaned back, sighing as the ship rose and began working its way towards Halo.

"This is where the fun begins..."

The Dark Lord of the Sith muttered, more to himself than the anonymous Sith soldier he had chosen to watch over. Everything about the trooper's body language said that she would get herself killed and whoever she was with killed and Revan was going to make a point to his men. He was their commander, their leader and it was as much his responsibility as it was theirs if the battle was won or lost. He wanted to know what Halo was and staged the assault so he would go. He would fight with them and bleed with them and he knew they would love him for it.

Reaching the loading bay of the _Revenge_, HK-47 came to a halt, the assassin droid's scanners reaching out to the sensor and tracking the unique signature of its prey. Recording that its prey had likely found a means off of the ship the droid moved through the assembled ranks of the Fifth Legion and boarded a transport, waiting for the crews to load and take it to its prey.

"Cortana, all I need to know is did we lose them?"

Captain Jacob Keyes, the Captain of the _Pillar of Autumn,_ asked, his eyes tired and troubled as he reflected on the events on Reach. Reach was the last stronghold the UNSC controlled outside of earth and while they had followed the Cole Protocol of making random, blind jumps to throw off any Covenant pursuers from the trail to earth a very simple truth remained. They were going to lose the war and humanity was on the verge of extinction. A strong female voice responded to the _Pillar of Autumn's _Captain through a speaker.

"I think we both know the answer to that."

The Captain shook his head, trying to figure out how the Covenant had been able to track them.

"We made a blind jump... How did they-"

The female voice cut off the Captain, impatient.

"Get here first? The Covenant ships have always been faster. As for tracking us all the way from Reach; at light speed my maneuvering options were limited."

Captain Keyes sighed, his eyes narrowing on a distant fight between Covenant Seraph class fighters and his ship's own Longsword Interceptors. It almost looked like a great bird sweeping down to pluck a fish out of the water when the wing-shaped Longswords struck at the Covenant fighters.

"We were running dark, yes?"

Captain Keyes asked, hopeful but reaching for straws. The voice, sounding quite irritated, more at the situation than the Captain's questions responded.

"Until we decelerated. No one could have missed the hole we tore in subspace. They were waiting for us on the far side of the planet."

Seeing his options were limited to fighting or attempting to flee, the Captain calmly clasped his hands together at the small of his back, looking up to a holographic projector on his bridge.

"So where do we stand?"

A holographic image of a woman, her hair short and her form a translucent violet appeared, numbers and runes streaming along her form.

"Our fighters are mopping up the last of their recon picket. Nothing serious yet; but I've isolated multiple Covenant Capitol ships on an intercept course for us. They should be on us in ninety seconds. They're moving in groups of three and I've detected 3 battle groups... and something else. Analyzing..."

Computations and readings that would have taken a human crew a good two minutes were finished within a second.

"There's wreckage and... something else. I'm not quite sure what to make of it, Captain."

Captain Keyes sighed, knowing it could wait.

"All the same, bring us back to battle status... and Cortana?"

The image turned to the Captain.

"Hmm?"

The captain's troubled features hardened to stone, a small smirk playing on his aged face.

"Lets give our friends a warm welcome."

In the cryogenics bay of the _Pillar of Autumn,_ a coded sequence played over a console reading _UNSEAL THE HUSHED CASKET._ The maintenance technicians quickly, though nervously followed the orders, beginning the thawing process for the UNSC's most deadly non-nuclear weapon. A Spartan II named John, identification number 117.


	4. Chapter 3: Autumn's End

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Also some of the dialogue characters and settings are taken directly from the game and/or book Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo: The Flood, so don't give credit to where it isn't due. I am merely a blender, blending things... sort of... And read the Halo books, they kick some serious Covenant ass.

Chapter 3: Autumn's End

Chief Petty Officer Spartan John 117 shook off the effects of cryosleep and followed the instructions of the technicians around him as they tested his MJOLNIR suit's shields and sensors. The captain's voice had gone off over the internal communications speakers that the Covenant had boarded and if that hadn't been enough of a warning the plasma rifle fire and the appearance of a Covenant Elite did the trick. A lifetime of training and advanced and painful genetic augmentation quickly kicked in and John 117 followed the technician shouting to him to get to the bridge. The man didn't make it very far though as the _Pillar of Autumn_ took a hit from a Covenant Seraph fighter and a nearby pipeline burst, spewing forth a minor explosion and fire that unfortunately consumed the UNSC crewman. Pausing only to check his own status, Spartan 117 turned and worked his way over a gap within the pipes and towards the bridge.  
The journey to the bridge turned out to be a bit longer than was necessary as they were boarded and the doors began sealing to prevent the Covenant from getting in too deeply. Within several minutes, John 117 found himself standing outside of the _Pillar of Autumn's_ bridge and the Spartan II keyed in his access code, entering as the command crew attempted to manage an unwinnable situation.

From a Sith landing craft filled with members of the Sixth Legion of the Star Forge, Darth Revan the Dark Lord of the Sith's right hand twitched. Catching himself before it could happen again the Dark Lord rested one hand against the back of the transport pilot's seat and the other on his belt. Death, different from the ones he had sensed when the Covenant ships were destroyed began echoing in the Force. It felt wrong, somehow and the Dark Lord fought to keep his hand steady. It was an old problem that had stemmed from the first battle he and the other Jedi had participated in during the Mandalorian wars and it happened much too many times for the Dark Lord's taste.

"Have a wing of our fighters break off and see about that mystery ship."

The pilot nodded and quickly followed orders, relaying Revan's and watching his readouts as they neared Halo.

"Sir, First Squadron has broken off and is performing reconnaissance. Rules of engagement?"

Revan pondered the situation for a moment before deciding to follow an old Mandalorian saying. The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy.

"Attack only if fired upon."

The order was passed along and Revan stood back from the pilot's seat, crossing his arms over his chest and watching the ringworld grow closer and closer.

"Sir, First Squadron reports they've taken fire from the ships identifying themselves as Covenant and they are returning fire."

The Dark Lord nodded, his right hand playing with the fabric of his cloak, opening and closing around it.

"Status on the rest of the battle group?"

Revan asked, his mask's readouts going dark as a nearby explosion from the _Pillar of Autumn_ gave off an electromagnetic pulse.

"First Squadron is taking heavy losses from the Covenant craft... Malak has yet to find a suitable jump point and the _Revenge's_ engines are restored but shields are still out as well as weapons."

A pause and then Revan flicked the side of his mask, rebooting its sensors.

"Engage Second and Fourth Squadrons around the unknown vessel, has the unidentified craft fired on us?"

The pilot quickly checked his readout, shaking his head.

"No, Milord. They seem to be only defending themselves and their fighters have all been destroyed..."

Revan took in a deep breath, pondering the value of an ally within the unknown galaxy.

"Put me through to Captain Desara."

A status light within Revan's mask flashed, giving the Dark Lord a direct line to his flagship.

"Captain, is the _Revenge_ capable of defending herself?"

A pause followed before the captain responded.

"Negative, Milord. We still need to rebuild the Core and our maintenance crew is rather... dead, sir."

Revan uncrossed his arms, drawing them together at the small of his back and stood straight.

"Then our hands are tied. Have Malak continue the holding pattern and keep me informed of any survivors of the unknown ship, should she crash we will provide sanctuary if they prove to be more receptive than the Covenant to our presence here."

A pause over the comm lines and the Captain agreed, turning her attention from the Dark Lord to the _Revenge._ Darth Revan turned and entered the transport's cargo area, staring at his faceless soldiers a moment before passing along what he knew.

"It seems the aliens that attacked us earlier and identified themselves as the Covenant have enemies here. We still haven't isolated the biological signs of the unknown craft but assume they are human. We'll be landing on what I believe to be a Forerunner structure and from there we will begin securing a ground base for further operations. Don't worry about the infiltrators, my own personal assassin is tracking them as we speak."

From her seat within the hold, Bastila Shan shifted uneasily, her constant use of the Force to shield herself wearing on her Jedi training.

"We cannot send assistance to the unknown ship yet, but hopefully we'll be able to track down survivors... Our fighter squadrons are paying dearly to keep them in one piece..."

From the bridge of the _Pillar of Autumn,_ Captain Jacob Keyes gnawed on a corncob pipe as he watched a group of unidentified ships intercept and destroy the Covenant Seraph fighters around them. The sight of the massive ring in space the Covenant had dubbed Halo had him nervous as it was but a new player in the game, who's side were they on and how advanced were they.

"Cortana... what exactly am I looking at?"

The Artificial Intelligence Construct's voice answered, a hint of uncertainty detectable within her response.

"Unknown craft seem to be using an Ion-based engine drive. Similar material as Halo, sir. They're fast but not faster than the Covenant's plasma turrets. They seem to be taking several hits before going own but they're simply outnumbered. I can't isolate their genetic patterns at the moment and we have Covenant Capitol ships on an intercept course... Luckily for us they seem to be ignoring the _Autumn_ and only attacking Covenant vessels... Oh and Captain, the Master Chief is here."

The Captain turned to meet seven feet of green and black MJOLNIR Mark IV armor.  
"Captain Keyes..."

The Spartan greeted, his face indistinguishable beneath a golden-orange faceplate. The Captain collected himself a moment, surprised he did not hear half a ton of man and machine walking up behind him and covering how frayed his nerves were at that. The armor was named for Thor's Hammer from Norse mythology and in the good Captain's opinion it was well named, as were the Spartans who wore it.

"Good to see you Master Chief. Things aren't going well. Cortana did her best but- we never really had a chance..."

Cortana's violet form arched a brow at the Captain.

"Nine Covenant battleships against a single Halcyon-class cruiser... With those odds we still had three-"

Cortana gave a momentary pause as if distracted before continuing.

"Make that _four_ kills."

Smiling to herself the AI looked at the massive form of the Master Chief.

"Sleep well?"

The AI asked. The Spartan's gold-orange visor turned to the meter tall AI's projection.

"Yes... No thanks to your driving."

Cortana's smile grew.

"So you did miss me."

Before the Master Chief could continue the banter an explosion rocked the _Pillar of Autumn_ and he looked out of the bridge's windows to see a fighter that did not exist in his suit's identification matrix or in his mind. In truth he'd never seen anything quite like it and could best describe it as a single pod welded between two tilted wings in the form of a bow tie. Unfazed, the Spartan watched the craft maneuver with control even a Covenant Seraph fighter would envy. Beside him Captain Keyes grabbed onto a console for support.

"Report!"

The Captain shouted over the noise reverberating along the _Pillar's_ Hull. The light around Cortana's violet form shimmered to blue as the AI began checking the sensors.

"It must have been one of their boarding parties. My guess is an antimatter charge."

Sabotaged from the inside, Captain Keyes shook his head, standing to his full height and maintaining his command grace. The fire control officer turned from the ship's tactical officer, Lieutenant Hikowa then to the image of Cortana, unsure of who to address.

"Ma'am! Fire control for the main cannon is offline!"

Cortana frowned, looking troubled as she turned to Captain Keyes.

"Captain, the cannon was my last defensive option."

Captain Keyes clenched his jaw, his blue eyes shining like polished steel as he took stock of the situation. They had no fighters space side and no weapons left to throw at the Covenant.

"All right."

Keyes began gruffly.

"I'm initiating Cole Protocol, Article Two. We're abandoning the _Autumn_. That means you too Cortana."

The Cole Protocol was a series of regulations given in regards to a hostile alien situation. Divert their forces from Earth should you retreat and prevent capture or destruction of a ship's AI so it could not be forced to lead the Covenant to Earth or its knowledge lost. That being the simple outline, Cortana had priority over the ship and even a majority of its crew.

"While you do what? Go down with the ship?"

Cortana shot to the Captain, stubbornly laying her hands on her hips. The Captain raised a brow at the challenge in the AI's voice. The AI looked and acted eerily similar to a young Doctor he had helped locate and identify a group of six year old children years before and he had a feeling that was no coincidence.

"In a manner of speaking... The object we found. I'm going to try to land the _Autumn_ on it."  
Several of the _Autumn's_ command crew gave the Captain uneasy looks but stayed silent as Cortana retorted, already laying in subroutines to land the _Autumn _successfully on the ringworld.

"With all due respect... this war has enough dead heroes."

The Captain locked eyes with the AI's projection.

"I appreciate your concern, Cortana- but it's not up to me. The Protocol is clear. The destruction or capture of a shipboard AI is absolutely unacceptable. That means you are abandoning ship. Lock in a selection of emergency landing zones and upload them to my neural lace."

Cortana paused, finishing her calculations and nodded.

"Aye, aye, sir."

Captain Keyes turned to John 117.

"Which is where you come in. Get Cortana off this ship, keep her safe from the enemy. If they capture her, they'll learn everything. Force deployments, weapons research... _Earth_."

The Master Chief nodded.

"I understand."

Turning to the AI, Keyes asked.

"Are you ready?"

Cortana paused, rechecking her subroutines and nodding.

"Yank me."

The Captain keyes in his code and a series of entries before Cortana's image vanished. Picking up a computer ship, the Captain handed the data chip to the Master Chief, watching as the Spartan II placed the chip directly into his suit's neural uplink; in essence blending the AI's presence with his suit's computer and his own mind. Captain Keyes handed John 117 his sidearm and nodded to the Spartan.

"Good luck, Master Chief."

The Spartan saluted and quickly made his way from the _Autumn's _bridge, still slightly shivering from the entrance of the AI into his suit. It felt like taking a bath in ice water but the benefits of Cortana's guidance made it more than worthwhile.

"Report from Lord Malak, Milord. Unknown ship has managed to destroy several of its pursuers and is launching lifepods and what appears to be several hundred primitive cryo-stasis pods. Covenant Capitol ships moving to intercept, their fighters are-"

The pilot was silent a moment, his hand clenching.

"Covenant ships are firing on the escape pods and cryo tubes, Milord."

That would simply not do."How unsporting. Have Captain Desara launch our bombers and target the Covenant ships. Have all available fighters not directly protecting the _Revenge _or this battle group launch and protect those pods. Launch transports to collect the unknown ship's survivors and prepare the medical bay for injured. Do not thaw the pods yet. Not until we confirm the unknown's willingness to aid us. Track the escape pods and send a transport as well as several fighters to each area to secure them. We'll find out soon enough who to trust in this galaxy."

The pilot nodded, glad to finally have something to do besides watching others perish. Revan watched as his landing force thinned with transports and fighters breaking off to follow the UNSC lifeboats to Halo. When only the _Pillar of Autumn_ remained, Revan ordered the other transports to aid those already en route. As the fighters broke away and the UNSC Halcyon cruiser entered Halo's atmosphere, Revan narrowed his eyes at the ship, tapping his visor's control gauntlet until it zoomed in on the image of a single transport breaking away from what he could only guess was the ship's command deck.

"Last ones out, We'll follow them personally."

The Pilot nodded, plotting an intercept course for the _Pillar of Autumn's_ command lifeboat. Three Sith fighters followed Revan's transport as it entered the atmosphere and immediately broke off, rising into Halo's blue sky to engage a Covenant u-shaped dropship.

"That was a rather quick response by the Covenant..."

Revan remarked, for the first time feeling some respect for the aliens that attacked them. They were bastards, yes but efficient ones.

"Scanners on the unknown escape pod. Negative on life signs. Shall I land, Milord?"

The Dark Lord of the Sith nodded, adjusting his gloves before turning and entering the cargo bay of the transport where the dropship's troops awaited orders.

"We're landing to secure a crash site. Shoot anything that doesn't look human, otherwise stun the rest."

The armored Sith hailed their Lord, standing in unison, Bastila's disguised form rising a split-second after the others and preparing to offload. As the transport hovered several meters above Halo's surface, the landing ramp opened and Revan sprinted to the end, leaping out and landing in a roll before coming into a crouch, his crimson lightsaber inactive but in his right hand. Reaching out with the Force, Revan raised a hand, showing a clear sign and the transport lowered several more meters, allowing the Sith to leap from it and onto Halo's surface.

"Orders, sir?"

A Sith Lieutenant asked, saluting Revan. Revan concentrated on the Force a moment before pointing in the direction of a hilly terrain. Bastila Shan landed roughly but recovered and awkwardly walked in the direction of a squad of Sith. She could run, yes but with Darth Revan nearby it was not a very good plan for escape, great if she wanted to commit suicide but not for escape.

_"May as well go through the motions... after all I have no idea where I am..."_

Bastila's thoughts blanked as she looked up into the sky and caught sight of the curve of Halo rising between the spacial bodies of Threshold and Basis.

"Beautiful..."

The Padawan's mechanically filtered voice remarked, barely distinguishable through the Sith helmet she wore. Darth Revan turned to the disguised Jedi, calling out.

"Most deadly things are, Private. Watch your step."

Bastila looked down and involuntarily took a step back as she spotted a large corpse disposed of carelessly in a ditch. Two Sith troopers inspected the _Pillar of Autumn's_ lifeboat, returning to Revan and reporting that the pod was stripped and a splatter of violet blood as well as a blood trail led to the corpse that Bastila had stumbled upon. Revan knelt beside the Shangheili corpse, inspecting the muscular form, unique armor and mandibled jaw.

"Lovely."

The Dark Lord remarked, his hand searching the creature and lifting a device from its belt. A Sith soldier with a scanner confirmed a plasma based weapon as well as a primitive stealth generator. Revan eyed the device in his hand, appearing to be a handle. The question was a handle to what. Seeing a switch on the handle, Revan decided it wasn't a grenade and depressed the switch, resisting the urge to jump as the weapon hissed and a white blade of light shot out, the superheated plasma forming into a single wide blade but with a distinct curve on either side as well as a groove in the center. The Sith soldiers nearby looked at the weapon in surprise, but quickly moved on, securing the drop zone as the transport rose to return to the _Revenge, _leaving behind a set of swoop bikes and several cargo containers loaded with supplies and heavy weaponry. The Dark Lord of the Sith tested the weapon, first on the alien's corpse and then on a metal plate of the unknown ship's escape pod.

"Piece of garbage."

Revan remarked, tossing the weapon aside in distaste. It barely had the cutting power of a severely underpowered lightsaber and gave off too much heat to be used for an extended amount of time. The weapon was also difficult to wield in any form other than a simple attack, something Revan was loathe to restrict himself to. The Elite's plasma grenades and plasma rifle proved to be slightly more amusing to Revan since the plasma grenade seemed to stick to the tree he had thrown it at and the plasma weapon overheated after a sustained amount of fire, forcing it to recharge.

"I see why they carry the swords now."

Revan remarked, looking at the swoop bikes for a moment before turning and searching for Bastila Shan's armored form.

"Private."

Revan called, Bastila turned, startled and executed a bow. Revan narrowed his eyes, wondering why the Sith did not salute but unconcerned as he pointed to the Swoop bike.

"Can you ride?"

Bastila nodded once, making a mental note to pass along a false name at some point.

"Good, you're with me."

Frowning but acknowledging with another bow, Bastila quickly inspected the swoop bike's controls and seated herself on one while Revan case one final look down at the alien corpse, deciding it was a member of the Covenant that had attacked them and not the survivors of the escape pod. It seemed very unlikely the unknowns would carry plasma weapons when their ship's weapons were reliant on mass acceleration, Revan assumed they would use projectile weapons. Leaping onto his swoop bike, Revan activated the bike's sensors, finding a group of life forms moving through the hills towards what registered as the crash site of the unknown ship.

"Private, might I inquire your name?"

Bastila searched for a moment, before responding.

"Talia Ors, Milord."

Revan nodded, committing the name to memory and motioning to the direction they should go.

"Watch out for tree stumps. Those things kill more swoop pilots than enemy fire."

Bastila nodded nervously, feeling ridiculous. Perhaps she could sabotage Revan's swoop bike when they stopped and escape. That still left the question as to where she was and how exactly she could get back to Coruscant, or any Republic and Jedi friendly world.

"Lord Revan!"

Revan turned to the Sith Lieutenant shouting at him.

"Yes?"

The Dark Lord asked, the Lieutenant looked between the two swoop bikes before speaking.

"There is no Talia Ors in the Sixth Legion, Milord."

Revan frowned, turning to where Bastila had been a moment before to only hear the sound of a repulsor firing as the swoop bike sped away. Watching the bike go, Revan shook his head, laughing at the absurdity of it all.

"Marvelous. I'll track the impostor and get some answers. Secure the surrounding area and dig in. Should any of our Covenant friends arrive, make sure they don't leave."

The Lieutenant saluted shakily, fearful of his own failure to detect the impostor. He had wondered why the headcount for his pod was two off. Turning to the direction Bastila had taken off to, Revan sighed, gunning his swoop bike's engine before breaking away.  
"Very resourceful, my young Jedi friend..."

The Dark Lord sighed, pondering whether to spare this Jedi for questioning or to kill her outright. He had a feeling this one was the reason he had had so much difficulty in this galaxy and if that wasn't enough of a reason, the transponder signal of HK-47 moving in towards the armored Sith impostor that had identified herself as Talia Ors was enough. Opening a comm signal to his droid, Revan relayed his coordinates and plotted an intercept course for them to capture the Jedi.

Ahead nearly by a kilometer, Bastila Shan had discarded her blaster rifle and had strapped her lightsaber on the Sith armor's utility belt. Breathing heavily, the Padawan allowed the Force to return to her, knowing that Revan was going to be able to sense her anyways and reaching for the Force to give her any clue as to which direction to go. Above her a strange alien craft screamed by, its body purple and blue as it spun in arcs in the air, trying to gain a lock on something on the ground. Bastila surmised that the craft was one belonging to those who had attacked the Sith but the Padawan recalled hearing the attack was unprovoked and she quickly dismissed the notion of looking to them for help. Her only option, it seemed was to find the survivors of the downed UNSC ship and hopefully be able to talk them into providing her asylum, should Revan find them.

In an entirely different section of Halo, the Master Chief slowly regained consciousness, his armored form rising slowly as he resisted groaning and rubbing his head. The MJOLNIR armor had protected him from the force of the uncontrolled landing but the rest of the lifeboat's crew had not had that luxury, or curse if you looked at it from a different point of view. The Master Chief quickly recovered, thanks to Cortana's directions and quickly grabbed an MA5B assault rifle as well as the M6D sidearm the Captain had provided him with. There was no time to collect tags from the dead and the Spartan narrowly reached a cliff side before a u-shaped Covenant dropship descended, supported by two Banshees and unloaded her burden.

Darth Revan paused, slowing his swoop bike and coming to a stop. In a clearing, the Dark Lord could clearly see a group of dead bodies, some unfamiliar from the mandibled alien he had seen before. Curiosity winning over revenge, Revan allowed Bastila a few precious minutes while he inspected the bodies. Small copper casings littered the ground and the smell of sulfur, potassium and coal was thick in the air. Revan smiled, bending down to collect another strange alien weapon. The device was blue but had a series of violet-pink needles rising from its top. Aiming the weapon and pulling the trigger, the Dark Lord watched as a slow charged needle shot forth, seemingly tracking the dead Covenant body he had fired it at and exploding a moment after imbedding itself in the small creature's canine-like form. The violet explosion of the needler round was helped along by a secondary from the Grunt, or Unggoy's methane breather and Revan rose a brow, tossing the weapon aside and looking at the other unidentified alien corpses. A bird-like creature gazed back at him through dead eyes and Revan took one look at the pistol before sighing, leaving the Jackal, or Kig-Yar where it lay. In the distance a glowing violet ship hovered in the air before descending and Revan abandoned his swoop bike in favor of his Force-enhanced speed as he raced for the ship. It was time to get a closer look at the unknowns and the Covenant's fighting capabilities.

Further ahead from the Covenant dropship, Bastila Shan slowed her stolen Swoop bike and narrowed her gray eyes as they forced to focus through the Sith helmet's unfamiliar displays. A shadow moved through the tree line and the Padawan stopped her swoop bike, reaching out with the Force and detecting several life forms, human life forms.

Back at the Covenant dropship's landing site, Darth Revan stared at the spectacle before him without emotion. A young human woman was tied up and gagged, though it did little to silence her as she screamed and struggled against her bonds. Revan began to feel a flutter of amusement as anger turned to fear at the approach of a group of hulking Elites. Amusement quickly dissolved to disgust, however as the woman, identifying herself as an Ensign Ellen Dowski began begging for her life, offering the Covenants the location of her superiors. Finding it strange that the woman spoke basic, but not pursuing the curiosity, Revan started in the direction of his swoop bike, leaving the foolish girl to her fate. It was obvious the aliens were just going to use her and kill her and he had a feeling her own cowardice was what had gotten her bound and gagged in the first place.

Corporal Wilkins, one of three Marines that had stayed on the _Pillar of Autumn_ to safeguard the command crew's escape stared down the barrel of his MA5B assault rifle with a lowered brow. To his left and right his fellow Marines zeroed in on the unknown hostile. It had been this way for hours it seemed, running and holding off Covenant patrols from the command crew and the Corporal narrowed his eyes at the device the silver-armored being was on. It didn't look like a Covenant Ghost but it operated like one and he wasn't going to take any chances. The only reason he had stayed his trigger finger that long was because of the unknown ships that had held off some of the Covenant fighters when they were in space and the shape of the armor. It almost looked like a human could be in that obnoxious mirror plated suit. The mask of the suit seemed to look directly at him and the Marine let out a calming breath as the alien being before him raised its hands. How the hell had it spotted them?

"I mean you no harm, I've come to speak with you... Are- are you from the ship that crashed? Or- or that escape pod?"

She sounded British to the Corporal and he blinked in surprise. She also sounded nervous.

"Keep your hands up and don't move."

Corporal Wilkins barked, stepping out of his nearly perfect cover and keeping his eyes narrowed.

"Name and rank."

The figure in silver armor shifted uneasily, deciding to avoid using a mind trick at that point.

"Well my rank I would suppose would be a fleet commander. I'm a Padawan within the Jedi Order and a Commander within the Republic... The- aliens that attacked you attacked the vessel I was on as well... I really do mean you no harm, you and your two friends don't need to keep me at gunpoint."

The voice took on an irritated edge, reminding the Corporal of Cortana's when he asked questions too slowly for the AI's liking.

"All the same, Ma'am. I'd feel a lot safer with my weapon pointed at you. Check her for weapons."

One of the marines flanking Corporal Wilkins moved forward, his hand pulling Bastila's lightsaber free from her belt as well as a six inch vibroblade that rested at her hip. Taking a deep breath, Corporal Wilkins hung his assault rifle over his shoulder and pulled out his sidearm, approaching the strange armored woman.

"Are you from one of the colonies or something? Commander?"

The soldier asked, confusion still playing in his eyes. Bastila sighed, shaking her masked features.

"No, I- forgive me but I am not from your... galaxy from what I understand."

The Corporal nodded, his facial expression not changing.

"That's nice. Why don't you start walking that way and I'll stand behind you with this gun until we figure out who the Hell you are and what to do with you..."

Wilkins nodded to himself, looking at the swoop bike with a frown.

"And uh... we'll just leave that here for now... yea, okay move."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Bastila did as she was ordered, keeping her hands raised as she worked her way through the thick underbrush of the forested area. In the shadows of the forest, two crimson eyes followed the three marines and Jedi Padawan intently. HK-47 slowly raised his blaster rifle, zeroing in on one of the Marines and fired, having no rules dictated to him by Revan as to who to kill and not to kill. Corporal Wilkins lunged forward, tackling Bastila from behind and grabbing the Jedi in a quick headlock as he held his pistol to her face.

"Ambush!"

Bastila went slack in the soldier's grasp, maintaining her calm.

"You don't want to do that..."

Bastila remarked, struggling to hide the pain the soldier's trained grip was leaving. Corporal Wilkins' jaw clenched as he was about to respond when his eyes suddenly lost focus and he repeated the woman's words.

"I don't want to do this..."

Bastila smiled to herself, easing out of the Marine's hold and looking up at the other Marine as he frowned at the scene and looked over at his dead companion.

"You want to give me my weapons..."

Corporal Wilkins shook his head, trying to break whatever spell be was under but unable and he turned to his surviving marine, telling him to give Bastila her weapons.

"Thank you."

Bastila remarked, sheathing the vibroblade and checking her lightsaber for any damage. Corporal Wilkins shook his head, holstering his pistol in favor of his rifle as he looked to his dead and living comrades.

"Mind- uhm telling me what the Hell just happened?"

The remaining Marine asked. The Corporal shook his head, uncertain of what to say and looking up at the armored woman as she seemed to vanish into thin air. The only tell that she had not was the silver blur she left in her wake as she ran to where the shot had come from. A humming and a strange golden light flashed in the distance and both marines looked to one another before breaking out of their cover to confront what had slain their companion.

Bastila dodged a crimson blaster bolt and reflected the other back at the droid attacking her. HK-47 extended his left arm, the side opening to reveal a small rocket. The rocket shot forth, barely missing Bastila as it struck a nearby tree and exploded. From close to a hundred yards away the Command crew of the _Pillar_ _of Autumn_, broke from their various states and began working their way to where the Marines were. They managed to reach the battleground in time to spot Corporal Wilkins shouting to his fellow marine to open fire. Bastila quickly threw herself out of the way as a stream of armor piercing rounds peppered HK-47's armored plating. The assassin droid staggered, turning and firing its blaster rifle at the marines, striking the Private in the face and narrowly missing Corporal Wilkins as he dropped and reloaded.  
"Enough of this."

Bastila spat, charging the droid and allowing her armor to take the force of the blow the droid delivered to her as she ran her lightsaber through its chest and upward, pulling it free from the droid's left shoulder. The Padawan staggered away, her armor cracked and red blood seeping through the damage as she leaned against a tree and panted heavily, her lightsaber blade illuminating the area as the Hunter Killer droid twitched and sparks shot from its damaged section.  
"Query: How would you like to die, Jedi?"

The droid managed, its weapon dropping to the floor and its eyes dimming.  
"What- What the Hell was that damn thing?"

Corporal Wilkins shouted, leveling his assault rifle on Bastila. The Padawan was hunched over, breathing in pained gasps.

"Hu- Hunter Killer droid. Tracking me. I- I'm sorry about your- your friends-"

Bastila collapsed to the ground, unconscious and unmoving as her lightsaber deactivated. Torn between trusting the woman or killing her, Corporal Wilkins turned to his dead companions, collecting their dogtags and saluting Captain Keyes.

"Captain, we found this armored woman following us. As you can hear she speaks English but- but I've never seen anything like this robot or her laser sword. At least nothing outside of the Covenant or ONI."

If the Office of Naval Intelligence had a black ops unit there on Halo, Captain Keyes threw the thought aside. It would explain the unknown fighters but to not offer any communications was strange. And to have only one contact them was impossible. The Corporal's next statement confirmed his suspicions.

"She claimed to be part of some Republic and in another galaxy... Maybe we should see if she's still alive, sir?"  
Captain Keyes nodded, watching as the Marine pulled the helmet from the woman's face and paused. She looked young, barely old enough to be in the Military and Captain Keyes sighed, kneeling next to the woman and stripping away the damaged breastplate. A black jumpsuit covered the woman and the Captain could clearly see a gash, bleeding freely where the armor had cracked.

"Lieutenant Hikowa, Ensign Lovell. Give us a hand."

Since no one was trained as a medic, all they could do was bind and clean the wound. The _Autumn's_ Operations Officer, Lieutenant Hall found a set of robes in the woman's backpack and set them aside, finding a strange medical kit that, despite its alien design had simple battle dressings present. Unknown to the Command crew of the _Pillar of Autumn_, the Jedi had placed herself into a deep Healing Trance and was broadcasting her position to any and all Force-sensitives in the area, including a certain Dark Lord of the Sith, who had snapped his head from a Banshee overhead to the direction of his Jedi prey.


	5. Chapter 4: Evasion 101

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 4: Evasion 101

Perhaps it was blind, dumb luck, Captain Keyes didn't know. All he did know was that the Covenant seemed to be a whole Hell of a lot more concerned about something a couple of kilometers behind their current location than they were of the escaping command crew themselves. Briefly he had heard Ensign Ellen Dowski's voice, first petulantly telling them that she was right about surrendering to the Covenant and then, hours later begging them to help her as the Covenant tortured her. At some point it became incoherent and a single plasma bolt brought an end to the noise. Captain Keyes shuddered momentarily, ignoring the guilt that somehow entered him. Ensign Dowski had been insubordinate and bordering on treasonous when they had abandoned her and she had even wanted to surrender to an enemy that did not take prisoners. The Covenant's sole purpose seemed to be to exterminate humanity and the Captain turned his thoughts to another young woman, the unconscious stranger they had found. If the level of technology required to make her laser sword wasn't enough to exclude her from ONI, her youth was. Crewman Abaid had said she looked like his little sister, who was close to Eighteen and the Captain was happy enough to accept that.

On another part of Halo, the ODST or Orbital Drop Shock Troopers under the command of Major Antonio Silva, moved from their HEV's, or Human Entry Vehicles. The ODST's were the toughest soldiers the UNSC had next to the Spartans and their lives were no less dangerous. The soldiers made high orbital drops in pods that frequently burned up on descent, often times with the soldiers inside. The 105th ODSTs were nicknamed the Hell jumpers accordingly and of those that had survived Reach to make it to the _Autumn_, Silva had secured the _Autumn's_ second AI construct, Wellsley. Wellsley, unlike Cortana was a _dumb_ AI. While having only seven years of operational lifetime, _smart_, AI's can adapt and perform millions of tasks. _Dumb_ AI's are assigned a single task and while still brilliant by human standards, cannot adapt like their more advanced comrades, they are reliant on human orders. Silva's second in command was First Lieutenant Melissa McKay who, while wounded defending the _Autumn_ still managed to survive the orbital drop and with a hundred and thirty ODST's took a Covenant held mesa, which was shielded by cargo containers and a strange, alien structure built into the superstructure of Halo. With the Captain MIA, Major Silva quickly took control of the situation, using captured Covenant equipment to defend the area they called Alpha Base and sending Lieutenant McKay to the wreck of the _Pillar of Autumn_ to secure supplies.

Bastila Shan came to the surface of her healing meditation, taking in a deep breath and releasing it as two gray eyes opened and focused on the end of an MA5B assault rifle.

"She's awake, Captain."

Lieutenant Aki Hikowa called, her face expressionless as she narrowed her black eyes. Captain Keyes shook off the light sleep he had been in, glancing at the sky before looking down at their uninvited guest.

"I suppose an explanation is in order?"

Bastila began pleasantly, despite how unnerved she was at the woman before her's stoicism. Captain Keyes nodded to Lieutenant Hikowa and the Japanese woman sighed, moving the end of the assault rifle from Bastila's face.

"Thank you."

Bastila began, standing and stretching as she rolled her neck. Captain Keyes opened his mouth to say something about her wound until he saw the young woman remove the dressing and, to his utter amazement, reveal a completely healed area.

"How-"

Shaking his head, Captain Keyes forgot his curiosity, getting straight to the point.

"Never mind that. Do you mind telling me why two of my crewmen are dead and what a human is doing on this structure?"

The young woman seemed to frown, looking off in the distance to where they come from.

"To be perfectly honest with you, Captain. I have no idea where here is. My name is Bastila Shan, I am a Padawan in the Jedi Order and a Fleet Commander in the Republic. I was born on the world of Talravin and joined the Jedi Order at the age of six where I was trained in the ways of the Force. Does- Does any of this sound familiar to you at all?"

Captain Keyes glanced at Lieutenant Hikowa, who merely shrugged, seemingly more interested in polishing her assault rifle than listening to the woman's story. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Captain Keyes shook the cobwebs from his brains and let out a deep, steadying breath.

"Have you ever heard of Earth?"

Captain Keyes asked. The woman paused, her eyes narrowed as she thought of that word.

"It has no meaning to me... It would seem my... enemies were right about this place..."

The feeling of knowing something he didn't want to settled in Captain Keyes' stomach. A brush of wind in the distance announced the return of Corporal Wilkins, Lieutenant Hall and Crewman Wang. Crewmen Singh and Abaid greeted them and took over the watch. Halo's orbit had carried it partially into the shadow of Threshold and darkness covered everything around them.

"I suppose I should start with the Republic then. The Republic is a group of thousands of worlds and species that has agreed to a single set of trade regulations and currency. It was established some ten thousand years ago and has been under the protection of the Republic Military and the Jedi Order. The Jedi Order is I suppose you could say an elite organization that trains children gifted in the Force from birth. Its origins predate the Republic by hundreds of generations, so many in fact that much of the knowledge has been lost. They are the guardians of peace and justice in our galaxy... Which I suppose brings me to the Force."

Lieutenant Hikowa froze as her assault rifle was suddenly lifted from her hands and hovered in the air. The rest of the Command crew as well as Captain Keyes gaped at the spectacle.

"The Force is an energy field that surrounds all things. It binds all things in the universe together and if one is gifted in the Force it allows them to effect objects and other things..."

Bastila returned the weapon to Lieutenant Hikowa's hands and the Lieutenant blinked, recollecting herself.

"Are you telling me you can move things telekinetically?"

Bastila smiled at the generalization.

"In a manner of speaking. I can move objects much heavier than anything I could lift physically, I can glimpse into another's minds... I am rather sorry about that Corporal Wilkins but it was a matter of life and death..."

The Corporal blinked, nodded absently and stared at Lieutenant Hikowa's assault rifle in disbelief.

"In essence... I can do a great many things that traditional science cannot explain. It may seem magical or unnatural by I assure you it is completely possible."

The Padawan paused, glancing off in the distance once more, a nervous look entering her eyes before her Jedi mask covered her emotional slip.

"Which... brings me to a rather delicate situation..."

Captain Keyes seemed to be the first, aside from Lieutenant Hikowa to recover.

"There is a rouge order in my galaxy who, it seems has an interest in your galaxy. I was part of a special strike team sent to capture their leaders but we were discovered and all of my companions died before we arrived here. I have no idea how this happened and I suppose my only hope would be to ask them... they're likely to place a lightsaber in my face though."

Lightsaber, Keyes looked down at his hand and the device he had been trying to figure out for some time.  
"Do you mean this?

Bastila nodded, frowning at the Captain.

"Speaking of lightsabers, may I have that back? We may be attacked and I don't want to be unarmed..."

Looking down at herself, the Padawan's frown deepened.  
"Or in this state of dress."

Spotting her bag, Bastila knelt beside it, throwing her Jedi robes over herself and pulling her hooded cloak over her shoulders. The Captain and his crew turned away, aside from Lieutenant Hikowa who still didn't trust the stranger and the Captain sighed as he took in the person before him. The robes were simple yet well made and they gave the wearer the same freedom of movement any fighting suit would. Looking down at the cylinder in his hand and then back to the young woman, Captain Keyes decided the woman could have the weapon. After all, how dangerous was a sword against a hail of bullets.

"Very well, you can have your weapon back if you elaborate a bit more on these enemies of yours..."

Bastila nodded gratefully, taking her lightsaber and strapping the weapon securely to her belt.

"The rouge order in my galaxy is known as the Sith. The Sith were once a powerful alien race that could control the Force. There were several great wars between the Sith and the Republic until they were eventually vanquished and died out..."

The Captain read between the lines and assumed genocide was what the young woman meant.  
"About twenty years ago another race of warriors, these absent in the Force but still formidable attacked the outlying worlds of the Republic. They killed billions and while they were a great threat the Jedi Order and the Republic refused to get drawn into the conflict. Shortly after the Genocide of Cathar a young Jedi Knight named Revan and his friend Malak formed a resistance within the Jedi Order. Hundreds of other Jedi followed them and they held off the Mandalorians, eventually Revan became the Supreme Commander of the Republic's 3rd Fleet. General Revan drew the Mandalorians into an ambush on a world called Malachor V and used some unknown device to destroy the entire planet as well as a good portion of the Mandalorian Fleet and his own. Hundreds of Jedi and millions of others died there..."

Bastila shook off the feeling of death that had clouded the Force with the Battle of Malachor V, every Force sensitive had felt that.  
"Following the destruction of Malachor V, Revan located the leader of the Mandalorian Clans, Mandalore the Ultimate and defeated him in single combat... Revan and Malak were heroes to the Republic but then... the war changed them..."

Again, Bastila looked towards where she could sense Revan, knowing he was close, but not dangerously close. Yet. Lieutenant Hikowa seemed to catch on and pointed her assault rifle in the direction the woman kept looking, her eyes moving between Bastila and the tree line.

"No one knows what happened but Revan and Malak and their forces vanished... The Jedi could sense nothing until after a year, an unknown force attacked the fleet's shipyards at Foerost and the attackers claimed to be Dark Lords of the Sith. They called themselves Darth Revan and Darth Malak..."

That had to be tough, Captain Keyes thought as he narrowed his eyes, reading the girl's face. She seemed to be telling the truth.

"We don't know what happened to them for the year they were gone. But they had more ships than we did and despite having fewer Jedi, Revan in particular and Malak were very powerful. The Force is divided into two sides, the Light and the Dark. The Jedi use the light and train to better themselves and the Sith use the dark side of the Force, using it towards destructive ends... In essence they've started a civil war within my galaxy and I fear that it is one we will not win... The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities that some may call unnatural... Revan has been rumored to be able to drain the very life from anyone he wishes and I don't need to tell you the dangers of his mental abilities. Your projectiles he could stop in midair, he could cause your soldiers to be unable to move or he could crush every bone in their body... That and he is an accomplished swordsman, able to best many of the Masters of my Order..."

Captain Keyes sighed, exchanging looks with his command crew.

"I suppose we can extend the sanctuary of the United Nations Space Command. We don't have much to offer you at the moment, but should this Darth Revan want information, he'd have a Hell of a time getting it out of us if what you say is true. Anything you can tell me about their technology?"

Bastila nodded, beginning to pace as she went through her mind for any advantages the Sith had over the Republic.

"They have vast amounts of war droids similar to the one that attacked us though... slightly weaker. They also have ships capable of incinerating a planet from orbit, hundreds of fighters and heavily armored ground soldiers. Thousands of soldiers. As of now they only have two ships in your galaxy but I know that a single shot from one of their main weapons can destroy one of those Covenant ships with its shields fully charged."

Several of the Command crew paled at that. It took two hits from the _Pillar's_ gun to knock out a Covenant ship and usually it had to take another shot before the Covies were off them. The sheer power needed to destroy the Covenant shields had to be astronomical.

"Artificial gravity, advanced hyperspace drive engines, Interdictor class gravity well generators that can pull ships out of hyperspace, deflector shields, heavily armored plating on the ships as well as from what I could tell forty Dark Jedi near to or exceeding my own strength. Ten on Malak's ship and Fifteen on Revan's with another twenty five.. no twenty four on the surface of this... structure... one must have been slain. They'll have air superiority within a matter of hours and will likely have ground superiority soon after. Hover tanks, swoop bikes and transports. Ion cannons able to pinpoint and destroy a power relay from orbit as well as their turboblasters. The more I think about this the more I think we are going to lose. Darth Revan recently hunted down and assassinated one of the most skilled martial artists of our time over a simple border dispute and dozens of Republic Senators have gone missing... The Standard Sith wears full body armor which as far as I can tell is thankfully made of Durasteel. If it were Mandalorian Metal or anything stronger a simple Sith soldier could take down a Jedi. In addition to their armor, each Sith soldier carries several grenades of various design, a sidearm, a blade for close combat and a blaster rifle. The more advanced units carry heavier weapons and some even have repulsor packs. In addition each suit has a self-sustained life support system... as well as a powered exoskeleton to grant the wearers more physical strength and speed."

At that last part, Keyes took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It sounded almost like they were mini-Spartans. If that were the case, he was half a mind to let the wolves have their meal but somewhere his own morality felt the need to speak up and Keyes sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"If its too good to be true it usually is. Guess we're not getting mysterious alien allies... and do you mind telling me how you're human _and_ speaking English if you're from another galaxy?"

Bastila stopped pacing, raising a brow as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Humans are indigenous to dozens of worlds in my galaxy and I am speaking Galactic Basic. A human language, yes but one that has been used for thousands of years as the standard for galactic trade. Why, is it different here?"

Keyes frowned.

"Humans are only native to Earth in this galaxy. We've expanded for the last several hundred years and are terra forming planets but the galaxy we inhabit is mostly devoid of intelligent life. Well aside from those Covenant bastards. We don't know exactly what we did to piss them off but they've been hunting down humans and exterminating them for years now... They even glass the planets, destroying them from orbit with their plasma until it gets so hot the ground turns to glass, the oceans boil away and the atmosphere dissipates... Seem to think we're some kind of disease on the galaxy..."

Horrified, Bastila opened her mouth, unable to reply a moment.

"Are- are you _serious?_"

Captain Keyes nodded, unfazed.

"Its actually nice to know there are humans out there, out of the Covenant's reach. We're pretty much fighting a delaying action and praying to God that they don't find Earth. They found Reach though... and glassed it. Reach was the last stronghold between the Covenant and Earth and we're pretty much waiting and hoping now for a miracle..."

Bastila seemed to be lost in thought and Captain Keyes waited calmly, glancing at Lieutenant Hikowa as she rose and excused herself.

"The Jedi Order never intended to kill Revan or Malak. Our goal was actually to redeem them and give them another chance. While they've been labeled traitors to the Republic, they still haven't incurred the death penalty and if the Jedi Order offered them sanctuary they could go on with their lives. We wanted to find out what the reason was for their turning. If it was the war or something... something else. Many want justice for those that have died against the Sith but in truth... they haven't yet crossed the line. They haven't yet begun killing innocents, there is always a motive behind each killing. Either defense or political gain... Perhaps if we confronted Revan with what is happening here he would do something. It wouldn't be the first time he's thrown out his values to defend the helpless. Revan was an emotional man, part of the reason for his fall, the Masters say."

That sounded strange, but Captain Keyes wasn't going to argue with the woman. She sounded a hell of a lot more hopeful than he would in her situation. If Revan were a UNSC officer, he'd have every Spartan in the galaxy gunning for him, not to mention ONI and the entire UNSC fleet. Traitors were not given very humane treatment in a time when the human race faced extinction... in the Milky Way at least.

Darth Revan, at that point was standing on a tree branch, fifteen meters from the ground as a u-shaped Covenant dropship hovered over a fresh set of dead Grunts. Revan sighed as he thought of the way the little creatures ran away in terror of him, all that fleeing so useless as he strangled the life from them with the Force. Amusing, but useless. Watching the ship hover over the bodies, Revan slowly gathered the Force around him, smirking when the side of the ship opened and several Elites dropped to the surface, growling to one another as they kicked the dead Unggoy bodies. Amusing, but it simply wouldn't do. Raising his left hand towards the Covenant dropship, Revan slowly lowered his hand until it was pointed to the Shangheili on the ground. The Elite's energy shields shimmered as the Covenant dropship was pulled from the sky and a second later violet blood splattered as their shields failed and their bodies were smashed under the craft's weight.  
Shouting came from within the ship and Revan watched without emotion as the unfortunate Grunt that had been flying the craft was executed. Running along the branch of his hiding spot, Revan leapt into the air, coming to land on top of the Covenant ship. Thumbing the switch to his lightsaber, the Dark Lord quickly decapitated the Elite that had spotted him and was aiming its plasma rifle at him. A Kig-Yar emerged from the dropship, hidden behind an energy shield as its hand pulsed green with a charged plasma pistol. Revan rose a brow at the weapon, waiting as it fired. The shot, to the Dark Lord's annoyance followed him and Revan lashed out with his lightsaber, clipping the energy bolt and watching in distaste as it dissipated on his blade. There wouldn't be any reflecting the energy back. Turning to the Jackal, Revan slowly stalked towards the bird-like alien, his lightsaber a blur as he calmly intercepted the Jackal's rapid plasma shots. The Jackal raised its shield desperately as Revan's lightsaber lashed out, cleaving the device in two. Covering its face, the Jackal cried out as it blindly shot at Revan, turning its back and fleeing. Revan calmly sidestepped the shots and spun his lightsaber in his hand until he held it backhanded and aimed the blade at the creature's back. Throwing the weapon like a spear, Revan did not even bother using the Force to guide it as it sailed through the air and into the Jackal's spine, killing it instantly.  
A Grunt emerged from the dropship, its eyes widening as it took in the demonic form of Darth Revan. Revan extended his right hand to his lightsaber, calling it back and pointed his left hand at the Grunt at the same time. Blue-white lightning arced from the Dark Lord's fingertips and fried the small alien. A moment before the creature died from the lightning, its methane pack ignited, the following explosion splattering its blue blood and body parts over the dropship's side. The survivor to this carnage, a single Covenant Elite activated his plasma sword, charging Revan with a war cry. Revan leapt over the horizontal slash of the plasma sword, kicking off the Elite's helmet as he jumped over it and followed through by delivering a kick to its spine, sending the powerful alien to the ground. The Elite rose quickly, charging again. This time, the Dark Lord of the Sith brought his still active crimson lightsaber upwards, severing the plasma field surrounding the blade and overloading it. The Elite stopped, gaping at its weapon's failure and then looking up at Revan's mask. Revan brought his lightsaber to his side, lowering his stance into a crouch and delivered a lightning fast slash across the Shangheili's throat. The Elite dropped, dying as it struggled to reach out to a needler at Revan's feet. Darth Revan calmly knelt, prying the alien's fingers from the weapon and lifting it in his left hand. Standing once more, Revan aimed the weapon into the center of the Elite's face and fired a single needler round into its head. The Elite gave a strangled bellow of outrage before its head disappeared in an explosion of violet mist.  
Tossing the Needler aside, Revan boarded the transport, sitting awkwardly in the pilot's seat and calmly pressing buttons at random as his mask's sensors logged their uses. In the back of the transport the body of Ensign Ellen Dowski lay amongst the bodies of the dead Covenant, a scorch marking the center of her skull where a Covenant Shangheili had put her out of his misery. The human's pathetic wailing had been too much for his ears so he had given the coward an honorable death. Revan soon logged the function of the Covenant dropship's controls and rose, leaving the dropship and seating himself calmly on his swoop bike. Lining the front of the bike up with the dropship, Revan fired the swoop's main blaster twice, watching as the Covenant dropship exploded in a flash of blue, white and violet. Transmitting the information about the Covenant ship as well as their weapons capability to his men and women on the surface, Revan turned the bike in the direction he could sense HK-47's weak presence.

Simple, primal, animal. Rage is the most basic of emotions, the strongest and the most destructive. Other emotions can trigger rage of course but few hold a candle to its power. From the bridge of the _Interceptor_, Darth Malak stared at the burning hulks of destroyed Covenant and Sith fighters. The Covenant had launched several waves of fighters from their capitol ships but nothing too impressive. A bulk of the two Sith vessel's fighters and bombers were engaged over the Forerunner structure known as Halo and Malak had merely been diverting stationary units into dozens of dogfights and bombing runs. It was boring and a simple footsoldier could likely have done it but Malak did as Revan had said, holding his ship and soldiers back from the fight to safeguard the _Revenge_, the only real chance of them getting back to their own galaxy. The _Revenge_ was nearly five times larger than the _Interceptor_ and while slower, boasted five times the firepower and fighter wings. Malak's ship was small, maneuverable and fast and while the _Interceptor _did not have the firepower of the _Revenge,_ it was more than a match for a Covenant warship.

"Lord Malak, I am getting some strange readings from the Covenant Capitol ships... High powered pinpoint transmission directly towards the _Revenge._ I'm still not certain Captain Desara has the ship up and running yet."

Darth Malak frowned, slowly walking to the officer's station and staring blankly at the readings.

"It's a file transfer... What-"

The Dark Lord of the Sith's eyes widened as he turned to his communications officer.

"Have the _Revenge_ boost all power to her counter intrusion software. They're sending a virus."

Virus was an understatement. From the Covenant fleet a Covenant version of an Artificial Intelligence Construct had invaded the computer core of the _Revenge _and was systematically taking over the Sith flagship's systems. Aside from sabotage it was the _Revenge's_ largest weakness. With her computers offline from lack of power and internal damage from the hyperspace jump, the _Revenge_ was a sitting duck. A muscle clenched in Darth Malak's jaw as he crossed his arms and watched the _Revenge's _lights flicker as the Covenant AI began diverting power.

"Are we still in communication?"

Malak asked, glaring at the larger ship, his eyes searching the weapon batteries.  
"Negative, Lord Malak."

The tall former Jedi cringed as white mist appeared around the _Revenge._

"They're venting atmosphere..."

Malak had not needed to hear that, he could feel the deaths in the Force and he was fairly certain Revan was going to be taking a few heads when he got back. Then again, he had his own ship to worry about.

"Have all Astromech and protocol droids as well as any slicers we have get into the network and keep that thing out of our systems."

The crew did as ordered, working with admirable speed and efficiency to save their ship. By the time the Covenant had directed a similar virus towards the smaller ship that they had deemed the lesser threat, the ship was secure and the AI was diverted, cut to pieces and discarded by the maintenance droids of the Sith vessel. On board the _Revenge_, Captain Desara lay, dead on her bridge along with the rest of the crew as the atmosphere drained into space. Several Sith soldiers, fully armored and bearing the mark of the Star Forge's First Legion checked the consoles. All were inactive and the Covenant AI began rerouting power to the _Revenge's _weapons, turning her to face the _Interceptor._ Seeing it as their only option the members of the First Legion, who were spread all across the ship with surviving elements of the Second and Third Legions placed charges on the ship's vital systems and made their way to any escape pods, transports, fighters or anything else that could carry them.

On Halo, Darth Revan paused his inspection of HK-47's severely damaged frame to look skyward. In the night sky the death of the _Revenge_ merely looked light a simple blinking light but within the Force, the echoes pounded upon the Force sensitives. Curling his right hand into a fist, Revan grabbed HK-47's remains, loading the droid onto his swoop bike and turning the swoop back towards where he had come from. Talia Ors or whatever the Hell her name was could wait. There would be serious repercussions for the loss of the _Revenge_. Reaching up, Revan boosted power to his mask's communicator, searching for an active Sith frequency. Malak's line soon appeared and Revan felt a small amount of relief when he realized his friend was still alive.

"Malak, can you hear me?"

Revan asked, his swoop bike weaving dangerously close to trees and rocks that littered Halo's surface as he sped towards the landing zone where they had begun establishing a Sith ground base. Static rang in the Dark Lord's ears and he nearly threw his mask from his face before it cleared and Malak's voice, faint through the static though still distinguishable answered.

"The _Revenge _is lost with most of her crew, Revan. We managed to recover a couple thousand Legionnaires from the First, Second and Third as well as several pilots but we've lost our main ship. I'm recalling all nearby fighters and loading the transports I can to send you more supplies. We're going to make a run for the far side of The Gas Giant and pick off the Covenant ships as they spread out. I have three on an intercept course now and my fighter support is limited at the moment. Their fighters are trying to take out our shields first so the Capitol ships can actually do some damage..."

Revan narrowly missed a large gray boulder as he pulled his swoop bike into a quick turn and gunned his engines, the repulsor booming as the swoop rose above the tree line and Revan reached its maximum speed.

"What happened, Malak?"

Darth Malak let out a calming breath, his face red with anger as he glared at the Covenant ships moving to intercept his own. In the backdrop the remains of the _Revenge_ burning orange in the blackness of space, her metal hull splintered into a thousand pieces as bodies and debris floated around her remains.

"Some type of intelligent virus. Without their engine core online, the _Revenge_ couldn't mount a good defense and the AI decompressed all of the ship. Only the soldiers that were on standby to reinforce our ground operations were able to survive. We scuttled the ship, there's nothing the Covenant can take with them."

Angry, but knowing a bad situation could be much, much worse, Revan relented, his leather gloves creaking as he tightened his grip on his swoop bike's steering bars. The rage he felt burned, so much so that he completely dismissed the Jedi's importance as he turned his attention to one simple thing. Revenge.

"Do what you have to, Malak. Send what you can to Halo but keep the _Interceptor _alive. I'll coordinate with the other landing groups and we'll move to establish a base of operations. Send any transports and fighters that can't get to you to my landing coordinates... May the Force serve you well, Malak."

Malak sighed, rubbing his bald head in irritation.

"And you, Revan."

The comm went silent and Malak moved to the display of the pursuing Covenant ships.  
"Relay Revan's orders and keep our slicers working on a way to keep that blasted virus out of our ship."


	6. Chapter 5: First Contact

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 5: First Contact

Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan 117 resisted the urge to groan as he regained consciousness. The sound of Cortana's voice calling to him was distant for a moment, before it felt like it was coming from inside his own head.

"Chief! Chief, can you hear me? At last... are you alright? Can you move."

Instead of answering, John 117 stands slowly and glances around him at the bodies of the lifeboat's passengers.

"The others... The impact. There's nothing we can do."

Resisting the urge to sigh, John hastily collected weapons and ammunition before making his way outside of the lifeboat. Overhead a strange fighter screamed past, engaged in a dogfight with three Covenant Banshee. Ignoring what the Chief could already see himself, Cortana checked the MJOLNIR suit's sensors.

"Warning. I've detected multiple Covenant dropships as well as another I can't identify on approach..."

Spotting that the Banshee were fighting the alien fighter, Cortana paused for a split second to check their options.

"I recommend moving into those hills. If we're lucky the Covenant will be too busy with that ship and believe that everyone in this lifeboat died in the crash. We can't really take the risk of running into the unknowns at this point..."

The Master Chief agreed, sprinting at nearly 30 kilometers an hour across an alien bridge that crossed over a waterfall and cliff. The Chief quickly made it to cover before an explosion marked the end of the unknown fighter. Two more fighters, similar to the destroyed one roared overhead, firing a stream of crimson energy at the two Covenant Banshee that survived. They seemed to be having trouble tracking the slow, yet highly maneuverable Covenant atmospheric fighters but they needed to only strike the craft several times before they detonated in the air. Having destroyed three Covenant to the cost of one of their own, the two fighters climbed upwards, until they were mere specks in the blue sky and Master Chief magnified the image on his visor, spotting a distinct U shape in the sky becoming scrap as the fighters obliterated it.

"Impressive..."

Cortana remarked, having seen Longswords and Pelicans try to match a Covenant Banshee's maneuverability or try to go against a Covenant dropship's plasma turret. The Chief nodded absently, his mind more on the Covenant dropship that managed to get past and unload her cargo. As the Covenant dropship rose, the two fighters returned, one from up high and one from the surface, skimming along the ocean. The fighter's energy weapons burst, sending a stream of steady red energy bolts at the Covenant dropship until it exploded from the damage, its destroyed parts raining to Halo's surface in smoking heaps. Several Covenant Elites as well as a dozen Grunts and Jackals managed to offload from one of the dropships before it too fell to the strange alien craft.

The Master Chief unholstered his M6D pistol, eyeing through the 2X sight and followed the Covenant as they neared his position. The Spartan II's finger tightened on the pistol's trigger, only stopping when the Covenant looked upward at a shadow that passed over them. A strange craft of a gray metal hovered above them. The back of the craft opened and a black blur fell from the back. The Master Chief could practically feel Cortana scanning the ship but what had his attention was the object that had fallen from the craft. It was humanoid, but that was about where the similarities between humans and this thing ended. The being's skin from what the Master Chief could tell was green and two large tentacles hung from its head in lieu of hair. A violet blade formed in the being's hands and the Master Chief watched in what he could only later guess was shock as the alien sliced its way through the Covenant Grunts with its laser sword. The Jackals and Elites raised their weapons, firing and the Master Chief could vaguely hear Cortana listing off the alien warrior's abilities as it seemingly produced lightning from its hands. The lightning struck a Jackal, overloading its shield and frying the bird-like alien and another Jackal was sliced to pieces by a simple flourish of the alien's weapon. The alien dropship lowered and the Master Chief watched in admiration as half a dozen silver-armored soldiers emerged and split into two groups, their energy weapons cutting through the Elite's shields in one shot, the second lethally striking each Elite's head. Efficiently executed and with no casualties.

The remaining Covenant began running, though the Shangheili that remained chose to fight to the death rather than flee. The Chief saw an Elite activate its energy sword and charge the green-skinned alien and he quickly decided to make his presence known. Raising his pistol, the Chief sighted the Elite's head and squeezed off four rounds. The first two took out the shield and the last two penetrated the Elite's helmet and skull. The powerful alien landed on its chest, sliding to a stop at the alien's feet. The alien, its weapon still glowing turned to the direction the Chief had fired from and the Chief could see clearly that the creature was a man, or male at least. Cortana sounded a warning before the alien began sprinting towards him, nearly as fast as a Spartan and John 117 holstered his pistol in favor of his MA5B.

"Chief maybe we shouldn't have gotten involved..."

Cortana warned while the Spartan calmly emerged from his cover, keeping the weapon pointed towards, but not at the incoming alien.

"I don't think we need anymore technologically advanced alien enemies right now, Cortana and who knows, maybe they'll not attack us on sight. You saw the space battle."

The AI grudgingly agreed with the Spartan.

"Fine, but let me do the talking. I have social skills beyond simply shooting."

The Chief chose not to respond, fighting to keep a twitch of a smirk from his face. The alien stopped when he was a good ten yards from the Spartan II and John finally got a good look at the alien. He was probably just over six feet tall and if the alien aged like humans he would have pegged him for being in his late twenties. The alien man was athletic, well built and fairly well trained if his stance said anything and the skin was a dark shade of green. The alien's eyes were similar to a human's only yellow-gold with a red ring of blood around the eye and it was fairly obvious he breathed oxygen.

"You look like a Mandalorian..."

The alien spoke with a clean, nearly Midwest American accent. Cortana paused for a split second, curious as to how the alien could speak nearly perfect English but otherwise ignored the surprise. The alien's eyes narrowed.

"I sense two presences within you... one human and one... something else... perhaps artificial?"

Unnerved, John calmly pointed his MA5B at the alien's face.

"John, calm down."

Cortana cautioned, speaking within the helmet so the alien could not hear. Two of the armored soldiers from the dropship approached behind the alien, making a show of strength and John could practically feel the eyes of the other four around him as they started over from where the dead Covenant were. The alien man laughed, smiling a shark's smile towards the Spartan.

"Intimidation doesn't work on me and you're lucky Lord Revan wants all survivors of the unknown ship... I suppose we'll call it a human ship now, alive... My name is Sefail and I am a member of the Sith Order of the Star Forge. Relinquish your weapons and we will continue this discussion on board the dropship."

The Spartan's face was set in stone behind his mask as he continued to point the weapon at the man.

"Don't you speak Basic? Give me your weapon or I am going to take it from you."

Cortana, trying to diffuse an explosive situation spoke over the Spartan suit's speaker.

"Maybe if you let him keep the pistol he'll go along. We did after all have our ship destroyed and crashed on an alien structure..."

Confusion flickered in the alien's eyes a moment before he seemed to consider the offer. Above, a Covenant Banshee screamed past but the alien did not bother looking in its direction as the Sith fighters intercepted the agile but slow Covenant craft. The soldiers, however did glance at the craft and John weighed his options. He could run for it and risk pissing the aliens off or he could go along and possibly be a prisoner. Were it just himself he still wouldn't surrender and with Cortana the Cole Protocol was clear, the decision only took half a second.

"I can't do that sir."

The Spartan's rough voice, only slightly disfigured by the static answered. The alien man sneered, his vicious smile vanishing.

"Like you have any choice, stun him."

Blue energy bolts emerged from the Sith trooper's rifles and impacted on the Master Chief's shields. On instinct the Master Chief aimed his MA5B at one of the Sith flanking the Dark Jedi and emptied ten rounds into the Sith's faceplate. The thunder of the assault rifle drew a flinch from the Dark Jedi as he quickly raised his hand towards the Master Chief. The Spartan swept his assault rifle to the second Sith trooper flanking the Twi'lek and a controlled burst of armor piercing rounds shredded the soldier's breastplate. Red blood seeped from the wound and the Sith fell to the ground, crying out. By the time John had leveled his weapon back on the alien man two seconds after shooting the first Sith in the face, he felt sluggish, as if he were moving against water. The end of his MA5B lined up with the man's face as his shields flared golden and failed from the stun bolt fire of the four Sith troopers advancing steadily. A blue stun bolt hit John's left arm and he could feel it growing numb but with the suit and Cortana's help, he could still move.   
"Hold your fire!"

John stayed his trigger finger a moment as the green-skinned alien stared at him with a hint of fear. Sefail had used the Force to stop the Chief's movements but the Spartan had been able to resist his strength. That alone had given the Twi'lek enough reason to let the armored man go. If nothing else, he had no wish to die. Of course, in John 117's mind he had killed members of an undiscovered alien race. First contact gone wrong would not erase this and the Spartan calmly squeezed his MA5B's trigger. To his credit, the Dark Jedi managed to raise his violet lightsaber, the blade intercepting and vaporizing a dozen of the rounds before one slipped past his defenses and clipped his shoulder. The Dark Jedi spun from the force of the impact, four more rounds perforating his body before the Master Chief began running, the four remaining Sith troopers watched in stunned silence before they switched their weapons to kill and began firing at the Spartan.

"Well that could have gone better..."

Cortana muttered. John grunted as he took cover and allowed his shields a moment to recharge. The display on his faceplate showed fully charged and the Spartan II dropped his clip, loading a fresh one and pulling the bolt.  
"Protocol is clear, Chief."

Cortana sighed, knowing they had to cover their tracks if nothing else. The aliens had been hostile and if nothing else, going along with what they, the Sith as they identified themselves had wanted would violate the Cole Protocol. They could not risk Cortana's capture and the Chief's hands were tied. Not that it really bothered the Chief, his life had been a series of endless orders which he followed without question... for the most part. Turning, the Chief leaned from his cover, spraying a Sith trooper that was charging after him. The rounds struck the Sith's legs and he collapsed, screaming in agony. The soldier's head struck a rock as he went and the screams fell silent as he fell still and his mask cracked, falling free. The Master Chief paused for nearly a whole second when he spotted a human face but instincts and training took over and he turned his weapon to the next Sith, then the next and finally the last. The personal deflector shields the Sith troopers carried were designed to divert energy and while they slowed the armor piercing projectiles, even slowed they were still deadly.

"Chief I'm picking up a UNSC distress signal from just over that ridge."

A way point appeared on the Chief's visor as he reloaded his assault rifle. Kneeling beside one of the fallen Sith soldiers, John lifted a blaster rifle and decided to give the weapon a try. The symbols were unfamiliar but a small indicator on the weapon shone green and the Spartan put two and two together.

"What should we do about these bodies?"

John asked. Cortana sighed loudly.

"That's a good question Chief. Another good question is why some of them are human or how that unpleasant green fellow managed to actually block nearly a dozen of your rifle's rounds. Just blocking one bullet is phenomenal and he did it twelve times... Do you realize he'd have to be moving at nearly three thousand feet per-"

"Cortana, the bodies?"

The Chief interrupted, trying to stay on task. The AI was silent a whole second before responding.

"A couple well placed plasma grenades should do it. You should also clear the drops-"

A Covenant banshee streaked past, its plasma turrets spraying the Sith dropship. A figure in gray, unseen by the Chief leapt from the craft and began running before another tried the same and was engulfed in the wake of the craft's explosion.  
"Never mind, just make them ash and lets get to the UNSC carrier signal."

Wishing for about the billionth time she had a physical body, Cortana waited calmly, analyzing weapons and data from the Sith and even the Covenant out of boredom before she checked the motion sensor log of the MJOLNIR suit and decided to speak up again. Just as the Chief had finished destroying any evidence of his presence.

"Chief... what happened to the one from the dropship?"

John 117 dropped immediately, checking his six quickly before doing a quick visual check.

"Motion sensors are black... Whoever it was they're not moving..."

The Chief nodded, tossing aside the Sith blaster rifle in favor of his MA5B and working his way cautiously towards the smoldering wreckage of the Sith dropship. The Chief paused for a moment when a Covenant Banshee screamed overhead and on instinct aimed his weapon at the craft. The Covenant flier banked suddenly as a red bolt of energy struck its side and the Chief picked up motion on his sensors.

"Movement at your nine."

The Spartan followed Cortana's directions, turning to his left and moving silently through the cover provided by the trees and rocks littering that section of Halo. Above, two Sith fighters streaked past, sonic booms echoing through the valley as they fired at the Covenant craft. The Covenant ship had no time to turn and was engulfed in the fire, exploding seconds later and raining to Halo's surface in smoldering wreckage. A shout drew the Chief's attention and he sprinted towards the sound, spotting the figure that had emerged from the Sith dropship. At first he had thought it was a UNSC officer with the gray uniform but on closer inspection the Chief noticed the person, though human was not wearing any UNSC gear. Holstering his MA5B on the magnetic plate on the back of his armor, John drew his sidearm and zeroed in on the Sith's head. The Sith waved at the fighters above as they passed but her calls for help went unseen or heard by the fighters as they banked and began climbing after a quick flyby of the area. Bigger things were going down besides the loss of one dropship and they had places to be.

John began squeezing the trigger but stopped when Cortana let out a warning. From the brush beside the Sith, a Grunt stumbled out and fell flat on its face. The Sith pilot, who looked uninjured immediately turned her weapon to the small alien and shot it center of mass. The problem was the Grunt breathed methane and in an oxygen environment, methane is explosive. While she wasn't standing next to the Grunt, the Sith pilot was close enough to get some shrapnel from the explosion and went down, crying out.   
"Cortana advise."

The Chief was uncertain what to do. While protocol was clear, the Sith as they called themselves were obviously opposed to the Covenant and maybe they could convince the wounded pilot to speak on the UNSC's behalf. The woman looked to be in her mid twenties, her black hair was tied back into a ponytail that ended at the base of her shoulder blades and there was blood seeping onto her gray uniform.   
"Alright Chief, lets see what we can find out from her."

The woman was leaning against a rock when half a metric ton of MJOLNIR armor and a good two hundred fifty pounds of Spartan stepped from behind a tree. Having seen the fate of her companions, the woman raised her weapon and fired at the Chief. The Chief's shields flared, holding against the shot though they were nearly completely drained and the Chief dodged the next shot, closing the distance between himself and the Sith in a second as his hand shot out, knocking aside the Sith's blaster pistol. The woman cried out, the bones in her hand shattering against the Chief's pulled blow and dropped to her knees, holding her hand as she glared up at the Chief. John 117 calmly pointed his pistol in the woman's face and waited, the image of himself reflecting back at him in the woman's dark brown eyes.

"Go on then."

The woman spat, a muscle in her jaw twitching as she ground her teeth together. The Chief waited for Cortana's lead before kneeling and holstering his pistol.

"Sorry, ma'am but you're going to be coming with me."

The Sith sneered, her left hand falling to her waist and producing a vibroblade.

"I think not."

The Chief immediately jumped back as the Sith rose, her blade piercing the air where the Spartan had been a moment before and she continued chasing the Chief. John threw his hand out, significantly pulling his strength as he grasped the woman's left wrist and applied a fraction of his Spartan strength, until the woman's bones crushed under the force. Crying out against the pain the Sith glared into her own reflection in the Chief's visor.

"Lord Revan will come for us and when he does-"

The woman's words went unsaid as a Covenant patrol of Jackals appeared, firing at the Chief as well as the Sith and striking the Sith in the back. The woman's eyes went dead and John tossed her aside, pulling his MA5B and firing at the Jackals. The battle was quick and brutal and the Spartan's armor was coated in spatters of violet Jackal blood by the time he had finished. Pausing only to look at the Sith pilot, John turned towards the way point of the UNSC distress signal on his visor. Watching the view from within the MJOLNIR armor, Cortana wished she at least had a projection so she could rub her pixilated temples. They sure had made a mess of that first contact. Hopefully the others were having more success.

From the Sith command base being set up around the _Pillar of Autumn's _Command crew lifeboat, a planet wide, or Halo wide signal lit every Sith comm line to turn their attention from collecting UNSC crew to returning to the base. The order came directly from Darth Revan and Sith fighters and transports lifted from Halo or turned from their courses, heading towards the Sith Command base. While most had not managed to reach the survivors of the _Autumn_, several had collected survivors from the lifeboats, all of whom were too seriously injured to be taken with their comrades. Their comrades had gone for cover and were still scattered all across Halo. The Sith Legions and Dark Jedi had been in the process of collecting them when the orders came.

"Chief I'm picking up a signal.. its not on any UNSC or Covenant channel and its hard to pick up..."

The Chief continued working his way towards the way point, his eyes scanning the area for any Covenant stragglers from the dropships while Cortana analyzed the strange alien symbols making up the Sith transmission.

Beyond the surface of the Forerunner installation, Darth Malak and the crew of the _Interceptor_ skimmed Threshold's atmosphere, leaving a trail of orange fire. Plasma torpedoes tracked the Sith ship but could not catch up with the swift craft before burning up in the gas giant's atmosphere. The Covenant ships threw all their power into their engines, still falling behind the Sith vessel until one of the Shipmasters of the three Covenant ships in pursuit had the genius idea of a short range jump to get ahead of the Sith ship and slow it down. The idea was sound of course but what the Covenant didn't count on was the Interdictor gravity generator on Malak's ship. Blue and white light shimmered around one of the three Covenant ships as it made the slipspace jump. A moment after the ship vanished into hyperspace it reappeared, directly in front of one of its sister ships. From the bridge of the _Interceptor, _Darth Malak smirked.

"Good work, keep track of the other ship to see if they try to jump away."

The crew of the Sith ship followed Malak's orders, this time preventing the two ships from avoiding a collision by blocking their ability to transition into hyperspace. The two Covenant ships struck one another head on, their shields burned brightly before flaring golden and failing. The massive Covenant ships continued colliding with one another until they flashed against the atmosphere of Threshold and the starfield above.  
"They can't maneuver in the atmosphere as well, bring us about and target that last ship."

Malak crossed his arms, turning his view from the rear of his ship to the front as the Sith ship's engines cut and she turned. The ion drives powered to full and the speck of blue and purple that marked their last Covenant pursuer steadily grew. A red glow appeared on the Covenant ship as she prepared to launch another plasma torpedo and Malak saw the opportunity.

"Pulse laser target their torpedo tubes. I'm guessing they drop their shields when they fire so we'll maximize damage."

As he had predicted, the Covenant ship's shields dropped for a split second as her plasma torpedo discharged. The crew of the _Interceptor _pushed all their power to their forward shields and Malak gave the order to fire. A red beam pulsed from the collector dish that housed its construction and the pulse laser discharged, passing through the plasma torpedo and into the Covenant ship's torpedo tube. A split second later the Covenant ship banked and began descending into Threshold's atmosphere as her engines were completely vaporized by the attack. The view from the _Interceptor's_ bridge showed a clean hole through the center of the Covenant ship, the edges burning orange against blue and purple. A moment later the plasma torpedo slammed into the front of the _Interceptor._ The Sith Interdictor cruiser's hull glowed white hot a moment before cooling to orange and then black as a massive scorch painted the front of the ship. The _Interceptor_ continued on her course and flew past the burning debris of the other two Covenant pursuit craft before she was again in line of sight to Halo.

"We may as well paint the whole damned ship black if they keep this up."

Malak muttered, causing several of the bridge crew to laugh. The entire front section of the _Interceptor_ was charred black as was nearly the entire top of the ship. A section of the back near the engines and the bridge pylon herself remained metallic gray.

"Minimal damage. Shields are down but charging."

Malak nodded absently, his thoughts elsewhere.

"How many does that leave?"

Malak asked, his right hand raising to rub his chin. Revenge was satisfying and the Dark Lord smiled.

"Of an original group of thirteen, one is disabled and on the surface of Halo and ten are destroyed. The final two are holding on the far side of the moon."

Malak turned his eyes to Basis, the Force enhancing his vision so he could follow the faint movement of two artificial stars.

"Status on our power reserves?"

The bridge officers consulted their consoles.

"Our Hyperdrive matrix is fine and we can make normal jumps but that jump here took nearly half our power and with the use of the Interdictor generator and the pulse laser... I wouldn't suggest going for these two for at least a day. We still have to rebuild most of the power couplings in the core room and our shields are still down to ten percent and not rising... We'll need to divert power from the engines to get them any higher."

Malak shook his head.

"No, speed and a big gun seems to be our only advantage at the moment and I want to keep both of them. Bring us to this system's sun and use the Rakatan syphon to draw energy from the star."

The crew acknowledged, bringing the _Interceptor _towards the sun of Threshold's system. The Rakatan syphon acted like the pylons of the Star Forge, collecting and storing energy for later use. The _Interceptor _and the _Revenge _had been a new class within the Sith fleet, meant to be the prototypes they ended up being the only two of their kind. Both ships could operate for nearly an infinite amount of time, their only shortcoming having to replace actual sections of the ships or should worse come to worse, refilling her food stores. Parts and fighters were not even a major concern since the ship boasted the same operating systems as the Star Forge, including her machine replicators. The _Interceptor_ could literally produce her own droid Legions from thin air.

"Lord Malak, Doctor Halfan requests your presence. She's analyzing the pods from the unknown ship that we managed to collect and she's found something rather odd..."

Malak nodded, turning and leaving the bridge with a sweep of his dark gray cape. The Dark Lord's crimson fiber armor glinted in the dim lighting of the bridge a moment before he was gone and the command crew continued on as if he were still there, relaying their findings to the captain and moving on to more pressing repairs as the _Interceptor_ extended a three-pronged pylon from beneath a section of her armored plating and began syphoning energy from the system's sun. Malak strode into the medical wing of the _Interdictor_, pausing within the medical bay only to inspect a pod with the frozen form of a nude human male within. Frowning at the primitive stasis pod, Malak continued inward, keeping out of the way of the medical droids and medical technicians before spotting the ship's doctor. Doctor Halfan was a Cathar that Revan and Malak had found fleeing the Mandalorian invasion and genocide of Cathar right before their decision to join the Mandalorian war. The Doctor was experienced and in Malak's opinion a genius that had kept he and Revan alive and in one piece much longer than they had any right to be. Hell, Revan was nearly in pieces after his duel with Mandalore the Ultimate and the doctor had kept him first alive and then even gone a step further and cut down the scarring. Malak came to stand next to the doctor, towering over the five foot four cat-like alien. The fur on the Cathar rose slightly but her face held no emotion as she turned to Malak, eyeing the tall Sith Lord a moment before commenting.

"Your arm is still mending from your duel with Master Atris."

Malak frowned at the memory of the Echani Jedi Master Force pushing him off of a Coruscant walkway and into a speeder, Revan's speeder.  
"Luckily Revan was there. Why he let her live I will never know..."

Malak didn't really mean it, but war had dulled his care for friends that had chosen to stay in the Order, rather than fight for that was right. Shaking off the guilt, Malak turned his eyes to the pod before him, frowning as he saw a gleam of golden and green.

"Looks like a Mandalorian..."

Malak muttered, more to himself than the doctor. The doctor nodded.

"Built like one as well. From what I can tell she's in pristine health. The edge of perfection like all Mandalorians and Echani and she is physically in her late twenties though from what you've told me of the race's technology she could be anywhere from twenty to any number of years. It would appear she is dead but that is why I called you here, Lord Malak."

Malak frowned at the title but said nothing, instead reaching out with the Force to the dead armored woman in the pod before him.  
"She's on the edge of death. Physically dead but still able to return... Can you revive her?"

The doctor nodded.

"I'd like to have some time to administer kolto treatment to her wounds and make sure she stays alive after I revive her."

Malak rolled his eyes.

"Of course. Do it."

The doctor nodded, placing a stasis field around the woman's body and activating the cryopod's release sequence. A few minutes passed before the woman's body rose to room temperature and the doctor set worker droids to work; removing the armor and revealing a young, angular face and nearly perfect muscle structure. The wounds were repaired and healed slowly within the stasis field as the woman remained oblivious to her own body. By the time the doctor had finished her initial treatments she realized several things, one being rather painfully obvious.

"She's not entirely human."

Malak had been watching the entire scene unfold with morbid fascination. It wasn't every day you got to see someone rise from the dead and he wasn't willing to miss it. Raising a brow as the doctor spoke, Malak turned and locked gazes with the Cathar's yellow eyes.

"Hmm?"

Malak asked, coming out of his thoughts.

"She's not entirely human. She started as human but from what I can gather she was genetically altered in her teens... Her bones have been coated in a ceramic high carbon material near the strength of durasteel, her neural network has been modified as well as her eyesight and muscles... It would have been agonizing if it were done all at once, some of the procedures would need to be done without anesthesia..."

Malak stared blankly at the doctor.

"She's a genetically engineered human and you could even call her a cyborg if you wanted..."

Malak blinked, insulted that the doctor thought he couldn't follow. He was just absorbing the pain part and his thoughts had blanked when he thought of having molten metal graphed to his bones. Breaking his arm had hurt enough but he suddenly didn't feel so pained. The bone knitters were making quick work of the break and he was fine in a fight so long as it wasn't against an experienced Jedi Master.

"I got that part its just the whole ceramic bone plating thing."

The Doctor nodded, lowering her eyes to the readout.

"I can bring her back now but the shock to her system would likely kill her again. She may be many things but she's still human."

Malak nodded, following along and wishing Revan were there to be interested in what the Doctor was talking about. It was just a headache to him.

"I can always guide her essence back into her body."

Malak suggested. The Doctor frowned but shook her head.

"That won't be necessary. I'd like her to have time to adjust before you unleash your Force energies on her. There's no telling what her reaction would be so I'd like to keep her under stasis until her wounds are fully healed. We may even need to replace several of her organs if the kolto treatment doesn't regenerate them..."

In other words it would take time. Malak nodded, knowing enough about medicine to know you didn't rush things and that most of it had to do with patience and waiting.

"Very well, keep me informed. We're going to be stuck here for some time and I could use the diversion."

The doctor nodded, sympathy seeping into her feline features.

"Of course. Revan will be well, milord. You know that as much as anyone."

The former Jedi Knight nodded, his eyes staring at the armor they had removed from the woman. A rank was present on the armor in an insignia he did not recognize and strange alien letters adorned a simple strip on the armor that he couldn't read. _PETTY OFFICER SECOND CLASS LINDA - 058. _ Shaking his head, Malak decided he'd see to the repairs in the engine room before trying to decipher any alien languages, that was Revan's expertise. Pausing only to study the armor of the woman for a moment, Malak left the medical bay returning to the bridge and getting an update on his ship. He'd come back in the morning after a good night's sleep. No sense being around the dead for answers, living were much easier to get answers from.


	7. Chapter 6: The Covenant Strikes Back

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 6: The Covenant Strikes Back

At the center of the Star system housing the ancient Forerunner ringworld designated Installation 04, a starship from another galaxy floated dangerously close to the system's sun. A white stream of energy connected the ship to the star and the ship's shields shone a faint blue against the radiation and heat bombarding the Sith vessel. In the maintenance bay of the _Interceptor_, Darth Malak, the apprentice of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Revan; stared blankly at a device before him. The device was shaped like a blaster rifle but to its side a small, skewed rectangular object lay, about three fourths of an inch thick and two and a half inches wide. Lifting his eyes from the device and to the Sith technician, Malak rose a brow in question.

"It's a rifle..."

Malak muttered, unimpressed. The technician's excitement was almost palpable through the Force and Malak did his best to stay patient. It didn't last more than a second.

"If you want to live..."

The Dark Lord began, only to have the Sith technician lift the weapon, load the curved rectangular device into the rifle and pull a lever. Malak could not fully restrain the flinch he gave at the weapon's roar. Single explosions were discernable as well as a metallic pinging every time the weapon spat out a small copper colored cylinder. At the end of the room a stand with a set of Sith armor covering it was set up. Malak turned his eyes to the object and rose a brow in appreciation.

"Projectiles... primitive but affective."

The technician nodded, clearing the weapon's chamber and releasing the magazine before handing the weapon to Darth Malak. Malak tested the weapon's balance, briefly considered using it to bludgeon the technician and sighed before setting it down and looking to the next weapon discovered from the human lifepods and Covenant debris. A Covenant needler sat, glowing magenta against the gray durasteel table and Malak looked between the weapon and the armored target. The projectiles had torn the armor to ribbons, leaving dozens of small holes in the armored plates. Malak briefly thanked the Force he wore a cortosis woven suit before watching the technician lift the next weapon and fire a single shot that moved slowly towards the target, looking like a shard of glass floating in zero gravity. The shard imbedded itself in the suit and a split second later exploded in a flash of violet-pink light. Malak narrowed his eyes slightly against the minor blast but took in the damage to the suit seriously.

"Have the tech droids set up a new set of armor and try the next."

The technician bowed his head, ordering the droids while Malak rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He would need to reestablish communications with the ground force on Halo and send the new data. He had no doubt that Revan had already done similar tests on the weapons but it was better to be safe than dead. The droids set up a new set of armor and the Sith technician hefted the next weapon, a Covenant plasma rifle when the internal alarm of the _Interceptor _activated. Malak frowned, his mind quickly dismissing the possibility of a space attack when he distinguished the different tone of the alarm; there was something wrong inside his ship. Scowling, Malak turned to the Sith testing the weapons.

"Keep me informed of your progress and find the ship's weapons master. I'm going to see what this is all about."

The Sith saluted and returned to his work, firing off a plasma burst towards the armor and watching it melt through the material before Malak turned and walked briskly towards his bridge. The Dark Lord's personal comm beeped and Malak sighed, lifting his wrist to his mouth and not slowing his pace.

"What is it?"

Malak's voice boomed, leaving no room for meaningless chatter. The comm was silent a split second before a response filtered through.

"Doctor Halfan activated the medical bay's security system a moment ago, Lord Malak and we've been unable to reestablish contact with the Medical bay. Security and Delta Legionnaires are holding, shall we clear the bay?"

Malak frowned deeply, reaching out with the Force and sensing the Cathar doctor, alive, though injured but nothing else. Whatever was attacking must have been artificial in origin and Malak reached further within the Force, seeing the room from a view few were given. Medical droids continued their tasks, unaware of their situation or unable to respond and a spark and hiss echoing along the Force told Malak a security droid was laying in pieces. Reaching further, Malak could sense a heartbeat, beating slightly faster than was normal for the average human and he broke his concentration, confused. Why could he sense a heartbeat but not a lifeform. It was as if the lifeform were simulated, artificial. Pulling his lightsaber free of his belt, Malak broke into a Force-enhanced sprint, using the maintenance hatches to reach the medical bay quicker.

As he approached the sealed doors to the _Interceptor's_ infirmary, Malak waved his hand at the Sith guards and droids crowding the hallways, ordering them to stand down. Two Dark Jedi stood at either side of the door, their forms and faces obscured in their black hooded robes and black masks. Malak made the same gesture to the two and they backed away, still ready should anything attack them. Drawing in a deep breath, Malak nodded to one of the Dark Jedi and the hooded Sith activated the door's controls, unlocking and opening the door. Malak was a blur of red and smoke-gray as he rushed into the room, his crimson lightsaber snapping to life in a hiss and humming as his movements brought him into the medical bay and deeper, to where Doctor Halfan lay, holding her arm and hissing in pain as her yellow eyes glared at a figure beside her. The figure, unarmed though still very much a threat turned to the sudden entrance, surprise briefly reflecting in bright emerald eyes before they hardened and with a total lack of expression, the figure stood, lifting the Cathar Doctor by her injured arm and calmly wrapping its free arm across the Cathar's neck. Malak came to a stop, studying the figure that was clad in a battered black unisuit that looked to be a cross between leather and spandex.

"Are you well, Doctor?"

Malak asked, the Cathar was enraged, but still against her attacker's hold and visibly regained control of her anger.

"Broken bone along my shoulder blade."

The Dark Lord of the Sith kept his eyes locked on the figure holding the doctor, the lighting caught the figure's features and Malak could make out bright red hair and the angular features of the woman the doctor had said was clinically dead when he had left the medical bay only an hour before. Amusement suddenly came over Malak and he smirked, eyeing the woman like a scientist would a new anomaly.

"I see the dead have risen. Has Manaan's water turned to blood, have the forests of Kashyyyk become as desolate as the dunes of Tatooine?"

The doctor and the red-haired woman clearly did not share Malak's amusement but the Dark Lord could discern a flicker of uncertainty in the woman's eyes.

"Release the Cathar. I will only ask once."

Malak's voice cracked through the ambient noise of the Medical bay like an explosion and the newly revived Spartan stared back at the Dark Lord, unmoving and unresponsive. Malak briefly probed the woman, finding her thoughts strange. Though he could now register her as a human, her life force seemed faded, distant and out of reach. When the woman tightened her grip on the Cathar doctor, Malak extended his left hand, summoning the Force to stop the woman's movements. The Spartan blinked, her eyes unfocused for a whole second before she shook her head and struggled to remain holding her hostage. The Spartan was weaponless and without her armor and Linda 058 knew her options were limited. Why a human was consorting with aliens, possibly some member of the Covenant they hadn't seen before confused the Spartan but instincts and training took over where the mind would not and Linda continued to apply pressure in way of a warning.

"Stop whatever it is you're doing, now."

Linda ground out between clenched teeth. the Spartan thought perhaps a toxin was released in the air with how her head was pounding but it didn't seem to affect the feline creature or the other human and the Spartan blinked in confusion as she was suddenly thrown back and pressed against the wall, an unmoveable barrier holding her limbs in place while the tall, bald human panted heavily, slightly hunched over from the exertion of his outburst of Force energy. The red-haired human was resistant to the Force but not outside of its influence. She was absent yet also present within the Force and Malak was extremely unnerved by this. She almost felt like the mutated Sith Revan had fought and killed on Malachor V, or almost like a Terantek. Continuing to use the Force to restrain Linda 058, Malak knelt beside where Doctor Halfan had collapsed and checked her for wounds while shouting for his soldiers to enter. First were the two Dark Jedi, their crimson lightsabers ablaze in their hands as they cautiously approached. Next were the Delta Legionnaires, the Sith special forces unit, the best of their legions and last were the security droids and standard Sith troopers. The soldiers crowded the room, training their weapons on the single Spartan II while a Sith medic went to Doctor Halfan, assisting the Cathar to her feet and checking her injuries. Malak briefly sent a soothing wave of Force energy into the Cathar to aid in her healing before scowling at her.

"I told you to inform me of when you revived the subject."

The Doctor glared at the _subject_ before glaring back at Malak.

"She was stabilized at the time but we were losing her so I had the droids revive her behind the stasis field. Somehow the field failed and the woman awoke and attacked me."

Malak narrowed his eyes, searching the Doctor's for only a moment before nodding and turning back to the Spartan. Malak clipped his lightsaber to his belt and sent away the security droids as well as the standard troopers. The two Dark Jedi, unimpressed by their opponent, left with them and Malak stared at the Spartan. Linda felt the hold on her fall away and set her jaw, staring at the soldiers and aliens before her with no emotion.

"Who are you?"

Malak asked, his eyes narrowed slightly as he concentrated on the woman's aura, still perplexed by her presence, or lack thereof, in the Force. Linda measured her options, mentally checking off available weapons and opponents before she really took in the stances of the four heavily armed and armored soldiers flanking the bald man. They wore armor of solid black, a small symbol adorned the armor, a sphere of white with the ends on either side spurting white flames. The symbol of the Sith Empire. Beneath the symbol a red shield and the basic designation for Delta was engraved on the armor and the soldier's black visors gleamed as they focused on their newly risen _guest_. Surrender was not an option but Linda decided perhaps a little subtlety would be in order, especially with the way the soldiers kept their full concentration on her. Standing slowly to attention, the Spartan stood straight and gave off her rank as well as her serial number and designation.

"Petty Officer Second Class, Spartan Linda - 058."

Malak's eyes glazed a moment in complete and total disbelief. What the Hell kind of name was that.

"I said who are you..."

Malak sighed, wanting to rub his temples. Linda felt a small fraction of a smirk twitch at the edge of her mouth but suppressed the urge to give in to her own humor. The man obviously didn't like repeating himself but she had made him do it. Malak continued to stare at the woman, who stared back while keeping perfectly at attention.

"This is Revan's kind of work, not mine. Are you going to be alright, Doctor?"

Linda's gaze slid to the Cathar and her red brow climbed a millimeter as she saw the alien woman experimentally test her arm. Malak's healing energy had soothed the pain and restored some of the damaged tissue, though not all. Still, only Spartans and Elites could recover that quickly on a broken bone, that or the Cathar was having one major adrenaline rush.  
"Yes, thank you. A simple injection of kolto and a session with the bone knitter will do the trick."

The Cather's yellow eyes gleamed a challenge at Malak, suggesting silently that he take advantage of the same treatment. Malak grimaced at the mere mention of kolto. The liquid was fouler than Rancor breath in his mind and he wasn't about to let it be injected in him.

"It can wait."

Malak muttered, turning back to the Spartan.

"Well... Petty Officer Second Class, Spartan Linda - 058... I am Darth Malak, second in command of the Sith Empire of the Star Forge under Darth Revan, my Master and friend. We are not from your galaxy but from another, brought here by an ancient alien technology to explore this galaxy for... scientific purposes. Upon arrival we were assaulted by a fleet of alien warships that identified themselves as Covenant and we destroyed them. The ship carrying you arrived shortly after and you, as well as hundreds of other crewmembers that were in cryo tubes were ejected into space as the ship crashed on a... structure..."

Linda listened patiently, her face expressionless as she read Malak's for lies and listened to what he was telling her, smiling mentally at his use of her full rank and designation rather than her name. John must have frozen her in a tube after she passed out from her injuries and the _Pillar_ must have been destroyed, or crashed. She could read no lie in the man's eyes and mentally frowned. Was it really possible? Narrowing her eyes, Linda called Malak on his claims.

"Prove it."

Malak rose a brow at that, shrugging.

"First, I'd like some information on your ship and your people. My Friend... My Master is on that structure right now trying to help you and fight the Covenant and its already cost us one ship. That's nearly a hundred thousand of our men and women, Linda."

Malak's voice grew colder at the last part and Linda could clearly see that he was angry, Hell he was pissed and she could see that his brown eyes didn't flicker, meaning he was telling the truth and not making it up. That, or he was a great actor. Pursing her lips the Spartan went over protocol for the position she was in. It was really in her own hands and while she didn't feel like chatting with the man, she wasn't ready to get shot at again so soon after returning to life either. Hell, it might even prove worth the risk.

"My... people are humans, all humans. We're relatively new to space travel but have, for the past several hundred years..."

The Spartan paused, making sure the Sith Lord knew the meaning of her words before continuing. Malak's eyes had briefly narrowed but otherwise stayed locked with Linda 058's.

"About twenty-five years ago one of our colonies, Harvest was attacked by an unknown force and we retaliated, finding the first non-terrestrial intelligent lifeforms in our galaxy, the Covenant. Since then we've been fighting a losing war with the UNSC, the United Nations Space Command, our military, trying to fight off internal rebellions and maintain order while the Covenant moved from colony to colony. The Covenant has offered no quarter to any humans and every colony they've conquered they have destroyed by orbital bombardment. By the time they finish no life can ever exist on the worlds again..."

An emotion flickered in Linda's features but was buried too quickly for Malak to read and he sensed the woman was speaking the truth. Recalling the Mandalorian's brutality, Malak felt bile rising in his throat as he thought of the countless lives lost to the armored warriors. It was evil, yes but he could see why the Mandalorians so despised the Republic. It was clear to he and Revan in the end that the Mandalorians had been right in a way to provoke the war, they strengthened the ones who challenged them and survived and they were all the more prepared for the True Sith in the end. The strong rule and the weak obey. It was the way of things.

"I am what you could call a special forces soldier and I was mortally wounded while defending Reach, our last real military stronghold outside of our home system, Sol. It was also my home since I was six..."

The Spartan trailed off, not wanting to go any further. What she had said was basic knowledge to any human soldier and civilian so it didn't really matter if she said it; but going any further into her background was bordering on treason. The Spartan's origins were kept secret for a reason and she honestly didn't care that she had lost her childhood to become one, she was happy to defend humanity; it was her life, her reason for existing. Fixing her gaze back to Malak as it had strayed during her conversation, Linda frowned at the man's expression. He looked almost bored.

"So you're losing. You're ships are inferior and you've no military so to speak of to reinforce you?"

Malak's voice was cold, calculating and a golden glint colored the Dark Lord's eyes. Linda's face was expressionless, the only tell that she was angry the clenching and unclenching of her hands.

"My dear... I'm a forward man and not big on grand schemes or subterfuge... I leave that in Revan's hands... I am going to be blunt and I want you to be blunt as well."

Linda was still as a stone a moment before slowly nodding.

"Good. We are new to your galaxy and are from one hundreds of lightyears away. We, Revan and I were once Knights of the Republic, members of the Jedi Order, an elite organization charged with keeping the peace and upholding justice. When our Republic was invaded and the Jedi Order chose to do nothing, Revan and I resigned our titles and took up arms against the Mandalorian invaders. We fought for several years against them and we, Revan, stopped them at every turn. We eventually destroyed the Mandalorians but at a very high cost and in the process... we discovered a new threat. I suppose you could say they are like the Covenant with their policy towards others outside their race. Revan formed a new Order to take the place of the old Jedi Order and named it the Sith Order. We began... searching for allies within the Republic and formed an Empire to stand against the threat we discovered..."

Malak wasn't about to tell the stranger about starting a civil war or even begin to explain why the Sith were preparing to fight the Sith, or True Sith. It was too much of a headache and he didn't need Revan smacking him in the head again for running his mouth. To her credit, Linda's expression did not change as she listened and her eyes merely flickered instead of rolling in their sockets as she easily read between the lines. Empires are not created from Republics peacefully and she was obviously looking at a warlord, the General of an Emperor and possibly a tyrant, though she had a feeling the bald man actually believed what he was saying. As the Spartan and Sith Lord conversed over the state of their respective galaxies, the _Interceptor's_ power cells continued to charge through the Rakatan syphon and on Halo, mere hours after the crash of the _Pillar of Autumn,_ Darth Revan was returning to his base camp.

A simple ditch dug into the ground and a raised section of earth set in a series of high rising cliffs and hills marked the boundary of the Sith base on Halo. Hundreds of Sith soldiers busily worked on the defenses while droids moved the heavy slabs of Durasteel between scaffolds and began pouring liquid duracrete into place. The Sith were digging in and a massive four legged walker with a powerful shield generator stood at the center of the camp, the shield generator humming loudly as a transparent blue field surrounded the base, providing safety from assault from the sky, or an orbital bombardment. Darth Revan's swoop bike slid gracefully through the shields, the shields designed to keep out energy weapons fire and not actual objects. A crack of static was the only resistance Revan met as his swoop slowed and came to a stop at a set of tables set out on the grounds. The Dark Lord dismounted, unstrapping and hauling a tattered pile of scrap that had once been his prized assassin droid. Tossing the destroyed HK-47 on one of the clear tables, Revan undid the straps to his mask and pulled back his hood, rubbing his dry eyes and wiping his damp forehead before pulling back his hood and taking a good, long look at the droid.

"Lord Revan."

Revan ignored the Dark Jedi speaking to him, instead noting the damage done to HK's frame and frowning as he crossed his left arm across his chest and then rested his right elbow on his left hand, his right hand fisted as it rested against his chin and his lips grazing his knuckles as he pondered his damaged droid.

"What is our situation?"

Revan asked finally, turning his golden eyes to the Dark Jedi beside him. The Dark Jedi was a Twi'lek with crimson skin and black eyes. The Dark Jedi's headtails were wrapped in black leather and a simple set of black robes adorned her athletic form. She couldn't have been more than twenty two and she was a veteran of the Mandalorian wars, the scars covering her body from her battles hidden beneath her robes except for a single gash, faint but visible that ran from the base of her chin to her ear. A Mandalorian had tried to take off her head with a vibrosword but she had managed to get out of the way, a split-second too late to avoid the deadly blade.

"My Lord we have lost contact with seventeen dropships and we have confirmed that twelve have been destroyed. Twenty seven fighters were lost with their pilots and an additional sixteen were forced to make emergency landings. The pilots are alive and were collected by their accompanying dropships. As of the moment we have twenty three Dark Jedi, including myself present and one more still active in the field. We lost contact with Sefail some time ago and the fighters accompanying the transport reported it destroyed and heavy Covenant resistance in the area."

Revan took in the information, nodding as he stroked his well-trimmed goatee. Dark brown-red hair ran down to just past his shoulders in a standard Jedi Knight's haircut and the Dark Lord's eyes seemed to be fixed in a glowing golden-yellow.

"Very well, Aven. Was my order to regroup transmitted to all ground forces?"

Aven Sek'tai nodded slowly, her black eyes studying Revan's stone features. The man's face was like his mask, expressionless and his eyes were as impassive as stones. The Twi'lek briefly wondered what had happened to so change the man. He used to wear his emotions on his face and he was so passionate that you just wanted to believe what he said. Now he was just as influential, but colder, more withdrawn and a Hell of a lot scarier.  
"Transmitted, yes but not received by all. A small party from Commander Sefail's transport was dropped by a crashed escape pod from the unidentified ship and reported meeting up with survivors in a structure on the surface before they reported Covenant dropships and their signal was lost. They are likely near a large source of power or the Covenant have some sort of jamming device. A flyby by the fighters that escorted Commander Sefail's transport reported seeing weapons fire of Covenant, Sith and unknown weapons. They are providing air support at the moment but we don't know how long they can hold out without reinforcements. Another, larger group as well as Commander Drinn were cut off when they went scouting the surrounding ridges and we've since been unable to reestablish contact. What are your orders, Milord?"

Revan drew up his hood, slowly replacing his mask over his face and turned to Aven.

"Prepare a platoon and meet me at the assault dropships on the eastern side of the base to search for Sefail, you will form a second party to search the surrounding cliffs for Commander Drinn's party. Keep in constant contact with the base and prepare four larger groups than the one sent out earlier to be ready to reinforce either you or I. Keep the fighters working on distracting the Covenant from our position and have Major Sal'fan work on finding an alternative to this location for a secondary base. Have the reinforcements prepared for heavy assault should the need arise and get into some armor, Aven."

Aven bowed her head, turning and jogging from the Dark Lord's presence as she prepared a Sith platoon for the operation and passed on orders to the appropriate officers. Darth Revan turned his eyes back to HK-47, lifting a shredded part of the droid and noticing two distinct weapon patterns. Narrowing his eyes, Revan closed his hand, activating a Mandalorian metal blade from within his gauntlet that shot out and quickly dug into one of the holes, prying out a small metal cone.

"Projectiles..."

Revan muttered to himself, turning his eyes to the lightsaber burn and trying to remember exactly what had been in the area when he had picked up HK-47. He hadn't had time to investigate the area due to the _Revenge's_ destruction but he had seen some blood pooled on the ground. Resisting the urge to sigh, Revan left HK-47 on the table for another day and stopped by a loading crate, pulling out a small protein bar and a flask of water. Lifting his mask and drinking the water, Revan stored the bar and half-filled flask on his belt and moved towards the makeshift landing pads. There were missing soldiers to find and curiosities could wait.

Bastila Shan stared blankly at the device the UNSC officers were arguing over. It was supposed to lead them to a transponder but all it seemed to do was lead them closer to where she could sense Darth Revan was going. They were mere kilometers from the Dark Lord and she could feel him, searching, angry and growing impatient. It was like the air around her grew colder with each step they took towards his presence and Bastila shivered, drawing the edges of her cloak together and rubbing her arms. She did not want to run into Revan any time soon but it seemed to be the will of the Force.

"Captain, I must warn you we are near Darth Revan."

Captain Keyes briefly glanced back from the path Corporal Wilkins was making and frowned, slowing his pace until he was beside the Jedi.

"That's where our people are, Ma'am. We don't have enough supplies and I doubt there is any game to hunt on this structure, or anything that could sustain us for long."

Bastila frowned but nodded slowly and Captain Keyes was reminded of his daughter, Miranda. She was a full grown woman now but he would always remember the little girl she had been and at that moment, Bastila looked like a frightened child. With the stories he had heard about this, Darth Revan, he didn't really blame her. He just wasn't sure he had any choice in the matter of working with Revan. Sometimes in war you had to work with the bad guys to win. The Captain was about to say something else when the Jedi frowned, her head turning to look at a shadow in a patch of brush. Bastila had been so concerned over their relatively close proximity to Revan that she had not been checking their surroundings. Captain Keyes' eyes followed Bastila's and he cursed as he spotted the distorted outline of a Covenant Elite. Instantly, a dozen Covenant Elites clad in black armor materialized, their weapons trained on the humans and their shields snapping to life.   
"Which is the Captain?"

One of the Covenant Special Forces grumbled in barely passable English. When none of the UNSC officers or the Jedi answered, the Elites charged. They needed the Captain alive, the Engineers had discovered that the humans implanted neural devices in their officers and it could be searched for information, mainly the location of earth. The Elites resisted the urge to tear their opponents apart, instead disabling the humans with quick, significantly pulled punches. Corporal Wilkins opened up with his assault rifle as did Lieutenant Hikowa but the Elite's shields absorbed most of the damage and they were upon the two before they could kill any. Bastila immediately pulled her lightsaber from her belt, stopping abruptly when the Elites lifted the unconscious bodies of the UNSC crewmen around her and aimed their plasma rifles at their heads.

_"That device... I have seen it before..."_

One of the Elites growled. Bastila was preparing to attack when something struck the back of her skull and she collapsed, unconscious before she hit the ground. Behind her, a Covenant Elite in black armor stared down at the Jedi, its mandibles clicking as it turned to its fellow Shangheili.

_"This one is to be separated. Find the Captain of the humans and kill the rest."_

The Elites bowed their heads, turning and sorting through the humans, searching for a rank insignia. Captain Keyes was the second checked and the other humans had no chance as the Covenant Elites calmly placed a single plasma burst in each of the _Pillar of Autumn's_ Command crew's heads, discarding their bodies and moving to their transport which had been shadowing them the entire time.

Spartan 117 slowly crouched, working his way around a large boulder that overlooked a pass between two cliff sides. The transponder for Fireteam Charlie was past these mountains and the Chief briefly checked his MA5B's ammo reader, seeing he still had twenty seven rounds. A little less than half a mag. Cortana had been silent for some time, analyzing the structure of Halo and keeping her attention focused on the motion sensor as the Chief had sprinted from cover to cover, eliminating scattered groups of Covenant quietly and efficiently. It wasn't until they came into view of a valley between the cliffside that she spoke.

"Chief, Fireteam Charlie's lifeboat is just down there, maybe they took cover in that structure."

John 117's eyes scanned the structure, seeing glints of silver in the sunlight. He'd seen that before.

"There's more of those Sith down there..."

The Chief stated, Cortana would have frowned if she had a body and used the MJNOLIR suit's sensors to see what the Chief could, and more.   
"Looks like someone crashed."

Cortana said cheerfully at the sight of a Covenant dropship imbedded in a cliffside. The Chief felt the urge to laugh but ignored it as he scanned the Covenant sieging the strange platform rising from Halo's surface. Overhead a Sith fighter screamed past, trailing smoke as it spun out of control and crashed. John 117 calmly fought down a niggling sensation of fear that had simply become second nature to him over a lifetime of training and moved into the fight, his MA5B expertly spraying controlled bursts into the bodies of Covenant warriors.

Darth Revan knelt over a scorched portion of dirt, staring at the charred remains of Darth Sefail and his command. Rage burned in the Dark Lord at Sefail's incompetence before he noticed a gleaming speck in the valley beyond the cliffside path that was Sefail's final resting place. Moving quickly, Revan took in the sight of dead Covenant and small gleaming copper cylinders on the ground. Breaking into a run, Revan came to a bridge that stretched over a waterfall from one of Halo's artificial steams and stopped, staring at the UNSC Lifeboat before him. Covenant bodies littered the area but the inside of the lifeboat was filled to capacity with human bodies, all of them strapped in and killed on the impact. The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed as he considered the situation. Turning, Revan motioned to the soldiers shadowing him to secure the area while he called in a scanning crew from the command base.

Static answered Darth Revan's summons.


	8. Chapter 7: A Simple Task

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 7: A Simple Task

"Try again."

Darth Revan ordered, slowly climbing down from the crashed wreckage of John 117's lifeboat. All of the Sith present scurried about the site, dragging the dead UNSC personnel from the lifeboat and laying them in rows before they moved on to the Covenant bodies, simply throwing them in a pile. The Sith soldier unfortunate enough to have to carry around the portable communications array knelt beside his bulky pack, adjusting the frequency to the emergency channel and calling again to the base. A momentary slip could be forgiven but after half an hour of no contact with the base, Revan would not be so forgiving. Static played over the channel, interrupted by garbled signals from small, scattered units of Sith still active on Halo outside the base. Frowning beneath his mask, Revan took the communicator and switched to the channel designated for Malak's ship.

"Malak wake up."

Revan all but shouted into the comm. On the bridge of the _Interceptor_, Darth Malak shook his head, resisting the urge to roll his eyes and trying to ignore the odd look Linda was giving him.

"Yes, Revan?"

Malak asked wearily. Through the static, Malak could barely discern Revan's message and made a quick gesture to his communications officer to clean up the signal.

"Revan, I can't hear you. Try tapping your line through the ground base's relay array..."

The signal cleared momentarily for Malak to hear Revan mutter something along the lines of idiot before it was completely cut off. Not knowing what else to do, Malak reached into the Force, searching for Revan's presence and finding it quickly, but also finding something else. A significantly smaller amount of Sith occupying Halo. Opening his eyes, Malak frowned, looking to his ship's Captain.

"Get us back to Halo. Immediately."

The Captain nodded and set about giving the orders while the _Interceptor_ retracted its Rakatan syphon and slowly pulled away from the system's sun. The static over the line with Revan cleared and Malak listened intently, as did everyone else on his bridge.

"Malak I've lost contact with the Command base while on patrol. Sefail is dead, it looks to be from a plasma explosion... I would say its from the fool's own idiocy but enough of him. I've sent Aven to search for Commander Drinn... his patrol went missing around the command base and... I feel the Command base is under attack, or destroyed. I cannot sense the Dark Jedi I left there or any of the men. I can still sense Aven as well as... oh, I'll get to you soon, Jedi. Yes, the Jedi is still here though her aura is distorted at the moment. I've secured a lifeboat from the unknown ship, the pod was filled with bodies from crew who died on impact... From what I can estimate on my own it would have killed any humans who were unshielded from the effects but... Its strange, as though something else was with them, perhaps a droid since it left a very small trail behind in the Force. Whatever it was it killed all of the Covenant in this area by itself."

Malak looked directly at Linda, his eyes taking in her form thoughtfully as he recalled Doctor Halfan's medical report, as well as the incident within the med bay. The ship's engineer was examining the armor the woman was found in and had yet to make any conclusive reports but Malak had an idea of what Revan was looking for.

"Linda... there wouldn't happen to be any others of your kind on that ship?"

Honestly not knowing, Linda said nothing, staring at Malak with an expression the Sith had never seen until he had faced a Mandalorian. It could not be described as a single word. The look held apathy, yet it also held a fierceness behind it that would not sway, there was fire but also ice and the features never shifted, molded as if carved into stone. It was a look a Mandalorian gave to someone that they considered a threat. Calculating and cautious, yet confident in the knowledge of their own skill. It was the look of a warrior.

"I don't know, Sir."

Linda replied, loosening her stance and no longer feeling safe. Malak held Linda's gaze a moment longer, trying to read her thoughts before giving in and nodding as he fought of a niggling sense of fear. Strange that he could still feel afraid after all he saw but the fear was a constant, it fueled the hatred he found himself using more and more. That thought terrified Malak but at the same time, it burned away his feelings and gave him focus. Survival first, then revenge.

"Do you have one of these humans with you, Malak?"

Revan's voice held no emotion as it was heard over the comm. Malak shrugged, even though Revan couldn't see.

"The humans of this galaxy are strange, Revan. Try not to kill any of them."

A small, ironic smile crossed Revan's lips as he looked down on the corpses of the dead UNSC personnel he had found though there was no real emotion behind the gesture, more some morbid reaction to something he found darkly amusing.

"I don't think I'll get the chance..."

Revan's voice held a truth that was humbling to Linda and she looked to Malak, seeing that he cared very little about the harsh statement of his Lord. Obviously any compassion had been beaten, fought or drilled out of them long ago. Malak's brown eyes shone with some unfathomable emotion before he breathed out slowly. Joking about death was something they all did eventually. Mostly just to live with what they had done.

"Malak something is off about this place... There is something besides the Covenant and these Humans. I can't put my finger on it but I can sense... something..."

The Dark Lord of the Sith's apprentice snapped from his own private musings, rolling his eyes in exasperation. He was really damned tired and didn't precisely care how he responded to Revan's vague premonitions; though... often times those premonitions were painfully accurate.

"Something you say? Do you think you can perhaps be a bit more vague?"

The bridge fell silent as did the comm line and the crew wondered idly if Malak had overstepped his authority. On the other end of the line, Revan had turned his attention to a chasm where a waterfall opened into the artificial ocean. He could overlook Malak's frustrated outburst, for now.

"Malak... keep the ship clear of Halo. Also... is your guest there?"

The seriousness in Revan's voice drew all weariness and rebellion from Malak. Turning to Linda, Malak nodded. Linda knew who wore the pants in that relationship, at least she could tell that Malak wasn't going to be having a coup against Revan anytime soon.

"Petty Officer Linda - 058, Sir."

Revan was silent for some time, absorbing the unfamiliar title.

"...Okay... I'll call you Linda."

Linda didn't really feel like talking but decided a response was in order; the Sith Lord seemed slightly lost at her title as Malak had.

"Very well, Sir."

Revan, frustrated and growing extremely, what the humans of earth would call pissed, Revan glared at the ridge overlooking the valley he was in.

"Hold on, I think we have some guests."

The comm line died and Malak slowly walked forward to the front of the bridge, crossing his arms over his chest and staring through the blackness of space towards Threshold and Basis' distant forms. Tilting his head to the side, Malak's eyes flickered back and forth, seeing through the layers of the Force and seeing an empty pit, devoid of life within Halo. That was likely the anomaly Revan has sensed and Malak was suddenly very glad he was not on Halo's surface. Something about the void was unnerving, almost like looking into a black hole and trying to fathom its sheer, raw power.

"I think I'm going to go blind."

Malak complained, feeling suddenly nauseous. Turning his back to the scene, Malak took in his bridge crew with a critical eye. Military discipline was slipping the longer they were away from their galaxy and with Revan gone, he was in command of the only real Sith Force in this part of the universe. Malak caught Linda's sharp gaze for a moment but the Spartan had shifted so fluidly that Malak had barely caught it. She was studying him like any smart soldier would, but what did that mean for him. Deciding to take a page out of Revan's book, Malak watched as Linda calmly spoke into the comm when Revan finally responded to the hails their communications officer had been sending at standard emergency intervals. No emotion entered Linda's face and Malak's eyes narrowed. For a moment, Linda looked to be concentrating and a flash of green told him he's momentarily locked eyes with her but the Spartan did not fidget in the slightest, maintaining a calm that a Jedi Master would envy. Crossing the bridge back to Linda's side, Malak watched appreciatively but warily as the Spartan tensed slightly, prepared to defend herself at any infraction.

"Revan?"

A scream, almost a cross between an animal's bark and a mechanical wine sounded and Linda narrowed her eyes, concentrating while Malak rose a brow, wondering what the Force that had been.

"What the Bloody Hell does that mean?"

Revan snarled, digging his boot into where his lightsaber had slashed a deep wound against a Covenant Grunt's abdomen. The grunt screamed in pain, repeating its short, bark-like words. Wishing she had an AI, Linda listened to the Grunt speaking its native language before shaking her head.

"A prayer of some kind."

A black and red mask, faceless as the expression on its wearer turned down to look at its victim.  
"You understand me, Covenant?"

The Grunt wheezed in pain and Revan reached down, pulling away its methane breather, starving it of breath. He could have simply used the Force to close off the creature's airways but Revan decided a gesture was more threatening, plus he was currently using a massive amount of Force energy to keep the thing from dying. Returning the breather to its face, Revan watched, satisfied as it nodded.

"What do you know?"

Taking several deep breathed, the Grunt merely let out a long, pained wheeze. Revan slowly lifted his boot from the Grunt's wound and then lowered it, grinding his heel slowly. The sound was horrible but Revan had tortured many beings in his time and a survivor of a failed Covenant attack on his small unit was having no pull on the Dark Lord's conscience. If anything, Revan felt disgust at the creature's weakness.

"Do. I. Need. To. Repeat. Myself."

Each word was enunciated by Revan grinding his heel left and then right and Linda felt some primal part of her mind want to smirk at the Grunt's pain. She had seen what Grunts would do to captured humans firsthand and in her opinion it was getting off easily. Looking a little pale, Malak cleared his throat.

"Revan, perhaps-"

"Silence."

Was the immediate response and Malak's mouth closed as the bald former Jedi Knight looked to his side, away from the comm and to Linda as she concentrated on the Grunt's words.

"Just a soldier."

Linda muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"He keeps repeating Demons."

Revan, rolled his eyes, knowing he wouldn't get anything else out of the Grunt.

"Then I suppose we're done here."

Lifting the Grunt easily, Revan tore off the creature's methane breather, throwing its wounded, dying and tortured form on top of the pile of dead Covenant.

"Give them a proper burial then."

Revan spat, watching as fuel and then a flame was set to the Covenant bodies. Whether the high pitched wail coming from the blazing pile of corpses was the sound of flesh and metal melting or the Grunt screaming, Revan neither knew nor cared. Turning on his heel, Revan narrowed his eyes at the bodies of the UNSC personnel.

"Load these into our transport... We should give them back to their people if we want to make a good impression."

Sarcasm dripped from Revan's words but the task was carried out. If nothing else, Revan wanted their equipment and bodies analyzed to prove that they indeed were human. The soldiers worked in complete silence. No jokes or complaints were heard and they moved with the efficiency of machines. Mulling over the situation, Revan decided it would be best that he worked alone on Halo's surface. Adding more dead bodies to his already depleted force would merely attract carrion and he was much harder to detect when alone.

"Prepare the transport. You're to go to the _Interceptor_ and deliver my report to Malak. I will stay here and attempt to find whoever survived the base's destruction..."

The pilot bowed and left while Revan turned his gaze to the smoldering pile of Covenant, a small sensation stabbing at his chest that he couldn't identify, nor wished to.

Bastila Shan slowly opened her eyes, blinking wearily against the dull pain that throbbed between her ears. Groaning, the Padawan rolled to her side and slowly raised the top portion of her body, closing her eyes to prevent any further nausea.

"Welcome back, Jedi."

In too much discomfort to snap back, Bastila slowly opened her eyes to see a red-skinned Twi'lek in a cell across from her.

"Indeed."

Bastila muttered, sliding back against the violet-blue wall of her cell. Confused for a moment, Bastila slowly recalled the images of the Covenant and the sensation of death she felt before losing consciousness completely. Blanching, Bastila focused on the task at hand, using the Force to clear her mind.

"Ah, so that bump on the head didn't make you completely useless."

Glaring at the Twi'lek, Bastila scowled.

"May I ask why you're speaking to me?"  
The Padawan snapped, her gray eyes flashing in anger. Aven Sek'tai's eyes gleamed at the challenge and a wicked smile crossed her features.

"Your actions led to the destruction of the _Revenge_. A hundred thousand Sith are dead because of you. Does that make you feel powerful?"

Bastila looked completely confused for a moment before the memory of a wave of death in the Force struck her pain-fogged mind.

"It was the actions of the Sith that placed me in that situation..."

The Padawan said slowly, secretly appalled at the sheer amount of death that she may have been responsible for. Aven looked slightly disappointed and turned her eyes to the Covenant Elites guarding them. Her patrol had happened across a group of Elites and Grunts that were clad in solid black and the Covenant had seemed more interested in capturing her and her soldiers than killing them. A fact which she smirked at, recalling how many were slain before they were simply overrun. Aven smiled viciously as an Elite passed her cell, baring her teeth at the creature. The Elite, though well trained, shied away from the cell, having heard tales of the creature's power from the survivors of their special forces unit.   
_"Demons."_

The Elite spat, moving away and watching the other humans interact with one another. It was strange, watching them act as Shanghielle did from time to time between battles but the Elite threw the thought out of his mind. Humans and all that sided with them were demons, savages and barbarians that defiled their sacred Covenant with their mere existence. Soon the Holy Prophets would send an envoy to purify the demons and then the human's leader would reveal the location of the place the humans called Earth. Truly this _Earth_ was some sort of hell, a spawning ground of demons and evil. Glancing back at the red-skinned demon, the Elite stood taller and reminded himself he was in service of the prophets and that his faith would protect him.

In her cell, Commander Aven Sek'tai could hear all of the Elite's thoughts and she played her part well. Fear and respect were all and good but having something terrified of you was always better. Mandalorians, she could respect but still kill. If placed against Revan, whom she was truly terrified of, Aven knew she would make a mistake and due, brutally should it ever come to that. Fear was always so much better.

"Must you smile like that."

Bastila Shan groaned, truly chilled by the malicious look on the Twi'lek's face. In truth she had personally known the former Jedi and to see her so twisted, so warped from what she had been was unsettling.

"Just entertaining myself."

The Sith Commander muttered, her black eyes focusing on Bastila Shan and noting the differences in her former comrade since the last time they had seen one another. Bastila was still no more than an adolescent, though she was extremely healthy by Republic and Jedi standards she was still horribly out of shape by the Sith's current standards. Aven slowly rolled her shoulders, loosening her aching muscles. The Elites had not been gentle capturing her and she could feel a stab of agony with each breath she took in. Survival and intimidation was foremost in Aven's mind but for a moment, she had a lingering sense of pity for Bastila. Pity that the Padawan would soon be introduced to force even the Mandalorians could not stop.

Darth Revan knelt and slowly collected a small thermal detonator from the belt of a dead Sith soldier. Staring through the scorched crater that had once housed thousands of Sith soldiers, Revan concentrated on his presence within the Force, keeping it nearly invisible to any around him. To the normal human or Covenant, Revan would have looked to be no more than a shadow amongst some boulders, or a wisp of dust in the air. With measured breaths and calm, Revan moved swiftly and silently through the narrow passageways towards the shaft of violet light that marked the _Truth and Reconciliation's_ gravity lift. The appearance of massive, orange-skinned creatures nearly completely encased in a blue metal armor that carried massive shields left Revan no delusions. While he could kill them both with ease, it was likely all Hell would break loose when the Covenant around them saw what was happening and after taking in the efficiency if not the military prowess of the Elites, Revan had no interests in an immediately direct confrontation.

The Dark Lord was merely at the Covenant ship to collect Aven, perhaps a Sith soldier or two and then kill the Jedi responsible for this entire mess. There was no emotion to accompany this thought, no lust for revenge or any anticipation of the fear that would welcome him. Revan merely saw it as a task to be completed, he had to if he wished to get anything done and not simply collapse into a weeping, broken miserable wretch of a man. Everything was a task, everyone had a job, it was like when he had build HK-47 to hunt down and destroy Mandalore, or should he say anyone who would try to rebuild the Mandalorian's threat to his plans. Each soldier, each Dark Jedi, each droid and each ship was a part of this machine and if one failed and could not be replaced or bypassed, the entire machine would fail and his plan would fail.

Uncertainty weighed in Revan's heart. So far from all he knew, so far from his own home, or at least what he considered home, it was always there. Could he find the Forerunner's great weapon, could it even be wielded against his foes or would its terrible power simply consume him as Malachor V nearly had. Drawing in a steady breath, Revan paused as a Covenant Elite clad in white armor glanced suspiciously at where he was crouched. Revan would have been annoyed at his own weakness to stay hidden rather quickly had he not seen that the Elite was looking past him. Echoes, sounding like distant thunder and roars echoed through the canyons surrounding the damaged Covenant Capitol ship and Revan saw his opportunity as he broke into a sprint, leaping into the violet plume of light and a sense of weightlessness overcame him, pulling him gently upwards to the bottom of the Covenant ship. An invisible barrier of light flickered briefly and Revan felt the weightlessness leave him as he found himself standing on a column of solid light. Moving slowly as to not alert the Covenant stationed in the loading bay, Revan moved to a quiet corner, waiting for his unexpected but most welcome distraction to enter the picture.

Beneath the _Truth and Reconciliation_, Spartan 117 calmly reloaded his MA-5B assault rifle and moved swiftly through the mass of Covenant dead. Several Marines followed the Master chief and the Spartan, while appreciative of their help could not help but wish to the days of Blue Team and his other Spartans. The Marines were good, but they were simply not Spartans and it was impossible for them to understand his small signals that the Spartans had learned and perfected as a unit. Overcoming the urge to sigh, John stopped, resisting the urge to gesture for the marines behind him to do the same and simply threw a grenade from his satchel around the bend their pathway took. The sound of a Jackal screeching as well as several Grunts crying out was quickly squashed by the loud _whoomp_ of the grenade and John calmly stepped around the corner, his MA-5B spraying single shots into the surviving Covenant as he passed. By the time the UNSC soldiers had reached the Covenant cruiser, John had been forced to call in reinforcements as the Covenant poured a good chunk of their crew out to defend the ship.

Darth Revan watched with morbid fascination as stream after stream of Covenant soldiers, first the grunts and then the Jackals and then the Elites filtered through the multiple doors to the loading bay. Seeing his opportunity, Revan moved through one of the opened doorways and sidestepped to avoid a pair of hulking Covenant Hunters as they marched past, unconcerned of the Grunts they nearly, and had Revan's eyes and his mask's sensors not been playing tricks on him, did crush. Part of Revan, long buried was fascinated by the cultural hierarchy of the alien race but the larger part of Revan merely wanted them out of his way. Waiting and filing away his seething rage for when it would be needed most, Revan continued his stealthy approach towards the ship's prison cells.

The Marines and the single Spartan had a much rougher time of penetrating the _Truth and Reconciliation's_ defenses, having instead to fight through it with brute, deadly force. Plasma weapons, grenades and machine guns fired back and forth, spraying death to all those that stood in its path.

Darth Revan was having a much easier time than John 117 finding the prison cell of the Covenant cruiser. Instead of having to check behind every door and fight every foe, Revan merely had to follow the trail the Force set out before him. The Elites as well as most of the humans in the room seemed to be startled as the doors to the prison block opened and closed, seemingly on their own accord. The air seemed to be shadowed before it slowly formed and all in the room except for Aven Sek'tai blinked in absolute shock.

"Hello there."

Revan smirked beneath his mask, sliding into a defensive stance as he took his saber in his right hand, lowering his form and reaching out with his left hand, motioning for the Elites within the room to attack him. The four Covenant Elites gawked at Revan, frozen for several moments before instincts and training took over and they all drew their plasma swords, seemingly as one. The Elites did not flinch as Revan's crimson blade snapped to life and they rushed forward, all thoughts of safety abandoned in their rage that a demon dare to defile their ship.

Captain Keyes looked at the man as if he were insane. Who in their right mind would directly challenge four Covenant Elites? These weren't just regular Elites either, these all wore the red armor of Covenant veterans. Either way, this insane man was a dead one and Captain Keyes decided to watch the man's death when something finally came into his quick, but still foggy mind.

"Darth Revan, I presume?"

Keyes asked to the cell beside his. Bastila Shan's wide gray eyes stared at Revan in absolute horror she shakily answered.

"Y-yes, Captain. Y- you are correct."

Aven watched impassively, showing no weakness as she stood with her arms crossed. The fight would be short but only the Sith and the single Jedi present would know precisely how short.  
"Honorless dog!"  
One of the Elites shouted as an invisible barrier stopped him in place for a moment before sending him backwards at a blinding speed into the adjacent wall to the cell block. The other three Elites were already upon Revan by then and the Dark Lord's saber rose, slicing into each of their plasma blades as they descended and shorting out the systems used to keep the plasma fields stable. The three plasma swords shorted out, smoking with heat as the three Elites backed away, though not by choice. A powerful wave of Force energy, dark and focused burst from Revan, sending all of the Elites flying backwards. With slow, measured steps, Revan moved towards the first Elite that had attacked him and as the Elite rose, side-stepped its thrust with its plasma sword and drove his saber into its chest.

"The honor was mine."

Revan called, turning and meeting a charging Elite head on. Captain Keyes watched in fascination and disbelief as the man extended his left hand, which had yet to even touch his energy sword's hilt and capture the Elite's hand. Revan was forced back into a wall under the sheer strength of the Elite but the Force protected his body from the impact and his hand, unlike most human's would have been, remained unbroken. Tightening his hold and shifting it ever so slightly, Revan watched the Elite's face contort as its mandibles clicked incessantly. Twisting and using the Elite's forward momentum more than his own strength, a loud snap as heard as the Elite's wrist broke and it howled in pain and rage. The how died as Revan's saber arced in the air, slicing through the Elite's shoulder and down into its heart. Even as the Elite died another had grabbed Revan, throwing the Dark Lord across the room to save its comrade. Revan's form sailed through the air, twisting under its own power and landing in a crouch as his cloak flowed behind him. Shaking his left hand, Revan licked his lips as he appraised the two Elites that remained. One had taken its fallen comrades sword while the other was much closer to him, its teeth bared between its mandibled jaw.

"I don't suppose you'd want to talk about this?"

Revan asked in an almost too fine accent. He'd almost sounded like a stodgy Senator and Bastila would have laughed if she weren't so terrified and appalled by his strength. It was almost like seeing her companions die again like they had trying to capture Revan. The utter calm of Revan, the mockery that existed in his confidence if not his words and the complete and total lack of feelings that came from him. Not even excitement or, surprisingly anger. The Elite merely growled in response to Revan's question.

"So be it."

Revan charged, dropping low and shooting to the side as he ducked under the Elite's punch and then sliced its body in half below its arms. A small mercy as it would die almost instantly instead of slowly as it would have had he taken it along the waist. In truth, Revan respected the lack of fear the Elite's showed. There was fear, yes but also an acceptance that they were dying an honorable death and that, if nothing else, Revan could respect. The final Elite stood tall, fearless and brave and savoring the fight to come. Throwing aside the plasma sword the Elite bellowed and charged, earning a smirk from Revan as he did the same with his lightsaber. The two forms, one of a red-clad elite and the other a black and red blur met in the center of the room, one striking with vicious and deadly force and the other, a blur as it avoided each strike. Revan thought of tiring the Elite down and then striking but time was most definitely of the essence and the Dark Lord caught the Elite's left arm, stepping below its outraged counterattack and behind it, pressing his back against the Elite's as he grasped the other arm and pulled with all his physical strength. Crouching half way through the motion, Revan felt almost detached as the Elite lost its footing, stumbled backwards against its own power and dropped on its head, dazed. Leaving the Elite alive, Revan stood, calling his lightsaber to his hand and then lowering it to the Elite's back.

"Turn, your shouldn't die with your face in the ground."

The Elite lashed out with its foot, catching Revan and knocking the Dark Lord aside. Spinning in place, the Elite pulled a plasma grenade from its belt and activated it, rushing to Revan and smashing the grenade into the Dark Lord's mask. The attack cost the Elite, however as it had impaled itself on Revan's lightsaber to do so but it died in satisfaction, knowing its enemy would soon follow it and not to the paradise that awaited him.

Revan immediately grabbed the grenade, ignoring the burning of his hand and tossed it to the other side of the room as it exploded into a brilliant blue-white light. Flexing his hand opened and closed, Revan stared at the charred skin through his burnt gloves, glaring at it before he pushed the pain and anger aside, turning to Bastila Shan's cell. Slowly, with measured steps meant to intimidate, Revan stalked towards the cell until his mask was mere inches from the glowing energy field entrapping the Jedi. The Dark Lord of the Sith's head tilted ever so slightly to the side as he studied the Jedi that had caused him so much trouble in such a small amount of time. The fear, he breathed in as if it were air, the indignation he laughed at to himself, amused and the lack of resignation he frowned at. So she was stubborn, with his luck she'd be opinionated as well and tell him in no pleasant terms how flawed his methods of killing her were.

Recognition started through Revan's features before it was crushed beneath the tide of angry Revan had been saving in wanting to deal with this particular nuisance. It wasn't the face, not the eyes that he recognized. It wasn't the fire of challenge he saw her gray depths or her superior stare when she gazed at him with disdain. It was the simple braid tucked behind her right ear that told Revan all he needed to of the Jedi before him. The Jedi would only be fool enough to send one and only one Padawan directly against him and it was amusing slightly to Revan that a Padawan would succeed where many Masters and others had failed in completely and totally driving him to distraction.

"You're dead."

Revan stated, raising his damaged left hand and using the Force to collapse the field. The eerie calm in the Dark Lord's voice as well as the hint of certainty stirred feelings of terror in Bastila, though she hid them well. Slowly meeting Revan's mask with her own steely gaze, Bastila held it as if daring him to even think of striking against her. Revan's lightsaber remained active in his hand and the Dark Lord studied his opponent, waiting for her to try to defend herself. Growing impatient, Bastila lowered herself into a hand to hand stance that she couldn't even hope would counter whatever Revan threw at her and she glared defiantly back at him, waiting before she spoke.

"I seem to still be alive, _Lord _Revan."

Beneath his mask, Revan's eyes twitched with some long suppressed nervous impulse. From across the cell block, Aven Sek'tai watched the scene unfolding with a flicker of pity. Turning to look at the cell beside Bastila's the Sith Commander could see the human's leader, or so she surmised trying to see what was going on. Making a noise to gain the man's attention, Aven nodded to Revan mouthing something to the UNSC Captain. Aven could feel the rage boiling in Revan but she could also see the logic in having more allies. She could also see that Revan was hesitating, likely in that same knowledge.

"Sanctuary."

Captain Keyes' voice called over the sound of Revan's steady breathing and the hum of his lightsaber. Revan's rage boiled at the interruption as he took a step back to glare sidelong at Captain Keyes.

"I beg your pardon?"

Revan asked in a dark tone, his voice refined as all Core accents but holding a rougher edge to it than most.

"She is under the protection of the United Nations Space Command and as such any attacks upon her by you or any other force would be viewed as an act of war."

When the hell did anyone around him grow a spine, Revan wondered idly as he waved his hand, restraining Bastila in place and then turned his full attention to Captain Keyes. Keyes resisted the urge to take a step back as the dark figure slowly moved in front of him and he kept his gaze locked in the small slit on the Dark Lord's mask where behind a transparisteel shield, Revan's furious golden eyes glared at the interloper. Something cold wrapped its fingers around his mind and Captain Keyes staggered, blinking in surprise at the intrusion of his mind. The image of his daughter flashed across his eyes before the demonic mask of Darth Revan blocked his sight.

"I see..."

Revan stated, not mentioning the Captain's daughter. Malak would be all for an alliance and peace but Revan was not Malak. Looking back over to Bastila, Revan rose his hand, watching the Padawan's eyes flashed in child-like terror for only a split second as the pressure against her body increased before it molded into an expressionless mask. Nodding to himself, Revan released his hold on Bastila, watching the Jedi stagger before she looked up at him with a fresh glare, promising the most vile of tortures.

"The same applies for any member of the Sith Empire, my good Captain. The Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan is in your protection and that of your people but be assured... I am not a politician and this... arrangement is only temporary."

The Dark Lord glared at Bastila and then with a single sweep of his hand had reactivated her cell's barrier and deactivated all those that held the Sith. Captain Keyes' brow furrowed as Revan made as if to leave and Bastila finally gained her voice. Had Revan known in detail of Commander Sefail's fate they would already be at war. As it was, Revan had better things to do.

"Aren't you going to free us?"

Bastila asked in a bitter tone. Revan felt a flutter of emotion and recognized it as amusement.

"I don't recall you asking... nor do I recall forming an alliance with the UNSC or the Jedi Order. I am merely here to free my soldiers and then leave."

Aven Sek'tai felt part of her wanting to laugh at the expressions of the humans around her. They looked shocked, appalled and pissed off.

"Y- Y you! Ohhh! You are by far, _by far _the most _arrogant_ megalomaniac I have ever been forced to look upon. How _dare_ you Revan. If you expect me to beg you, you are far mistaken. I shall never kneel to you."

Halfway into the rant, Revan half expected Bastila to stamp her foot like a child in tantrum and before he could retort with a cynical response, one of the UNSC soldiers spoke.

"Hey, I'll beg for you. I don't want to end up Grunt chow."

He couldn't help it, despite how dire their situation was, Revan felt something growing in him from the pit of his stomach, burning past all the rage and anger and pain that was there and a choked sound emerged from Revan. It took a moment, as it repeated itself and the Dark Lord's frame trembled with the pent up emotion before it exploded into the room with a boisterous ring. For the first time in a long, long time, Darth Revan laughed genuinely. Malak had been right, the humans of this galaxy were strange, strange but amusing.

Author's Note: Writer's block had again been overcome... for the time being...


	9. Chapter 8: Spartan Intervention

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 8: Spartan Intervention

Aven Sek'tai, former Jedi Knight and Republic Lieutenant, current Commander within the First Legion of the Sith Empire stared at her Lord with shock. Not since the days before the First Battle of Taris had she heard the sound, the _exact _sound coming from Darth Revan. Chancing a glance at the other Sith around her, Aven saw that they too looked bewildered and quite terrified that their Master had finally lost his mind. Finding the courage to approach Revan, Aven stayed a step behind and to the left of the Dark Lord, knowing that Malak's place would have been to the right of Revan and _only _Malak's.

"Lord Revan..."

Aven began, Revan continued laughing though there was no evil taint to it and the Dark Lord shook his head, waving away Aven's concern before regaining his composure.   
"Very well then. Proceed to beg for your freedom, I'm rather-"

A chuckle, much more subdued escaped Revan.

"I'm rather interested in hearing what you have to say."

Bastila Shan glared at Revan as if he were the devil himself.

"I will not beg to you, Revan. I will not satisfy your perverse delusions of grandeur."

Revan chuckled again, shaking his head to try to get some sense back into him, it didn't work. The Padawan had not just challenged him had she?

"Are you bloody serious? Do you know, do you have any idea the sheer pain I could put you through?"

The doors to the cell block opened and a single Covenant Elite entered, pausing in shock at the sight before him. To Prove his point, and before the Elite could draw its weapon, Revan had raised his right hand towards it, closing his fingers into a fist and making a violent pulling gesture. The entrails of the Elite tore from its abdomen, spilling onto the floor and it dropped to the ground, shock coursing through its systems as it died a slow death. Watching the scene in mute shock, Bastila turned her wide, gray eyes to Revan, appalled.

"My delusions are a reality. _Always_ remember that. It may spare you pain in the future."

Revan's voice could have frozen a star with how cold it was and Bastila merely nodded numbly, not wanting to see anymore displays of Revan's unnatural power. The rest of the humans, the UNSC crew there looked on in shock, though none in the room looked so disgusted by the scene as Bastila had. Disemboweled bodies were nothing new to them and when it was one of their enemies the empathy they felt for them was nearly zero. Watching the cremation of billions and watching certain Covenant feast on their fallen comrades was not a sight that left an endearing image of the Covenant in their minds. Revan's mind was in a similar state as those of the UNSC crewmen and the Dark Lord looked between the cells and then to Aven.

"Take this and release them."

Aven took a lightsaber from Revan, noting with a sneer that it was Commander Sefail's before she moved to a console and punched a glyph, releasing the fields trapping the UNSC crewmen as well as Bastila. Several Sith had helped themselves to the fallen Covenant's weapons and the UNSC crewmen and Marines moved from their cells warily as the Sith trained their weapons on them.

"Captain Keyes."

Revan began, startling most of the UNSC crewmen and Marines since the Captain had never given the Sith Lord his name. Captain Keyes calmly straightened his uniform and walked towards Revan, his spine straight and his features blank. Revan's masked features tilted slightly, considering.

"Keep her..."

Revan pointed to Bastila without looking at her, infuriating the Padawan.

"Under control and I will allow your people to escape. I do not play with the lives of _my _men and women and I will not let a single Jedi subvert my plans... once more."

Bastila wisely chose to remain silent, feeling Revan's cold glare on her.

"Those terms are acceptable."

Captain Keyes decided, holding out his hand for Revan to shake. Revan looked down at the hand in confusion, reaching forward and grasping Captain Keyes' forearm in a single warrior's handshake common amongst Mandalorians, or at least what was left of them. He didn't expect the humans of this galaxy to have such a gesture. Captain Keyes was merely staring at the Dark Lord's mask, curious about what exactly was under it. He assumed the man was human, seeing as most of the Sith were but then again there was that strange, red woman.

"Am I the only one sensing this?"

Bastila finally found her voice, her gray gaze locked on the door. It felt almost obscene working with Sith but she fought off the urge to spit on Revan. Her options were rather limited and Revan, if nothing else was good to hide behind. Tall and broad and-

Blinking, Bastila swallowed, turning away from where she had watched Revan raise his hand and poke his mask. That was by far the most bizarre thing she had ever seen and the Padawan almost, almost felt like laughing. Two gold eyes, mixed with flecks of brown were narrowed in annoyance as Revan checked his mask for damage from the plasma grenade.

"That blasted plasma fried the bio sensors. Stand ready."

Whatever was coming, Revan could barely sense and he was impressed that Bastila had even spotted it within the Force. Ignoring the faulty mask, Revan turned his attention to his soldiers and the UNSC crewmen. Most of the Sith no longer had their armor aside from their boots and their gauntlets and the various humans and aliens stood, waiting as only several of the Sith were actually armed with weapons. A clank sounded on the other side of the door and Revan readied himself, appreciative of Aven's presence as she kept her gaze between the door and the UNSC crewmen. Concentrating fully on the door and not a possible attack from behind, Revan raised his left hand, which had steadily been healing and held it in the face of the being that opened the door while his crimson saber remained at the ready, deactivated in his right hand.

John 117 heard Cortana's warning long before the door opened and he came to a stop inches from Darth Revan's extended hand. The Spartan's MA-5B, already at the ready prepared to fire when suddenly, his suit's G-Force sensors went off the chart and he could see nothing. Darkness swam on the edges of the Master Chief's vision as he began to blackout and the Spartan could hear Cortana's voice, steady and calm guiding him. The Spartan's finger closed on his trigger and four rounds were fired before he lost consciousness under the strain of whatever unfathomable force had struck him. The Spartan's last conscious thoughts were musing if a Covenant Hunter had spotted him without his knowledge and had used him as a baseball, its shield being the bat.

Watching the being encased in green armor slam against the adjacent wall, Revan felt a warning flare in the Force and instead of moving, stood his ground, waiting as the green-armored being's weapon spat out four distinct projectiles. One struck Revan's breastplate, the force of the strike moving the Dark Lord an inch back while another grazed Revan's shoulder before striking the wall behind and above him. The fourth of the shots had missed completely, nearly taking off Bastila Shan's head as the Padawan ducked out of the way but it was the third of the shots that had struck Revan, cleanly below his shoulder guards and his breastplate. The Force surged in Revan as he unleashed his rage, adrenaline coursing through his veins and blocking out the pain that seared through him. Stalking forward with blinding speed, Revan's lightsaber snapped to life, reflecting crimson against John 117's faceplate and the Darth Lord prepared to strike, only pausing when his feet seemed to stumble upon one another and his eyes rolled back into his head. All in all the encounter took no more than two seconds and the Sith watched in mute shock as their leader stumbled, falling flat on his face and not moving as he lay at the feet of the being that had entered the room.

"Lord Revan!"  
Aven Sek'tai immediately rushed forward, kneeling beside Revan and turning him on his back. The third of the Spartan's shots had struck Revan beneath his left shoulder and from what Aven could tell was perilously close to his heart. Red burned in the Twi'lek's eyes as she unleashed a feral roar and turned to the Spartan's unmoving body.

"Wait! He's one of ours."

Aven's borrowed lightsaber was an inch from John 117's throat when a blue beam shot before her vision, blocking the strike. Bastila Shan had somehow managed to summon Revan's second saber to her own hand and had, with blinding speed to the normal human, blocked Aven's enraged strike. This, however did not spare the Padawan as Revan sat up, surprising both Jedi and Sith.

"That bloody hurts."

Revan's voice was nearly a growl as the Dark Lord bled freely on the floor. Revan's mask had somehow slipped away and the Dark Lord's eyes moved between his unconscious attacker, Bastila and Aven.

"Revan-"

The Dark Lord cut his Commander off with a simple look.

"Aven secure the hallway."

The Twi'lek nodded and the Dark Lord used his feet to push himself against the still opened doorway to the prison block. Taking in a deep breath, Revan merely sat there, panting as he stared at the unmoving form of John 117. A gently hand on Revan's shoulder nearly cost its owner her life as Bastila's concerned features focused on the Dark Lord's wound. Revan's eyes, dark brown in his weakened state were glazed and the Dark Lord was fighting to keep from going into shock as he moved his thumb from his lightsaber's switch. The Jedi respected _all _life, even that of monsters.  
"That bloody hurt."

Revan repeated as if he could not believe it, blood slowly flowing from the edge of his mouth. The clicking of boots on metal echoed in Revan's mind before he looked up in a daze and saw Captain Keyes standing over him, looking down at the wounded Sith Lord with an unreadable expression.

Captain Jacob Keyes looked down on the face of the most feared man in the Jedi Order's galaxy and could scarcely believe his eyes. The Sith Lord's eyes were glazed and it looked like he was about to go into shock from blood loss but that was not what had caught the UNSC Captain's eyes. The beard hid it well but Keyes could tell the man was no older than twenty five and while it was normal for humans of any age to die, how in the twisted Hell had the kid he saw before him end up as an Emperor? As a Supreme Commander of a military from a war that to his knowledge of Bastila's galaxy had taken place half a decade before. This Revan couldn't have been more than twenty when the responsibilities of a Vice Admiral had been dumped on his shoulders and the UNSC Captain looked at the young Jedi that was carefully applying pressure to the wound as she tried to stop the bleeding. These were the strangest people he had ever met. If this Revan was so horrible, why was Bastila trying to save his life and why did her face look so concerned for the man who had brought war and terror upon her world. Just moments before the Sith Lord had disemboweled a Covenant in a silent threat to the young woman's life but there she knelt, pulling away his armor and binding her enemy's wound. Looking into the two's young features, Captain Keyes sighed, wondering if he had ever been that young before he turned his attention to Spartan 117.

"Cortana, Chief, can you hear me?"

Static crackled before Cortana's cheery voice answered.

"In a manner of speaking, Captain."

Shaking his head, Captain Keyes looked up at the dent John had put in the wall when his shields had flared and died under the violent force of his impact. Whatever powers these Jedi possessed were well beyond anything he had seen the Covenant do. Even the brutal strength of the Elites were nothing compared to the unseen power of this Force the Padawan had told him of.

Darth Malak's pacing of the bridge of the _Interceptor_ halted abruptly as soon as the third round from John 117's MA-5B struck Revan. For a brief moment, Malak's expression grew troubled before steadily, Revan's presence calmed, the darkness enveloping it backing away and receding into the Sith Lord. Turning his eyes back to the distant forms of Threshold and Basis, Malak frowned deeply.

"How far away is that transport?"

Malak asked, his crew having been monitoring the transport Revan had taken from his base to investigate Sefail's disappearance since it had left Halo.

"Another ten minutes, Milord."

Malak said nothing, turning back to look at Threshold and Basis. Linda had been removed from the bridge under the pretense of a medical checkup but in reality, Malak did not want the distraction on his bridge. Linda was a warrior, that much was clear and if worse came to worse, Malak did not want to have to watch his back too closely.

Doctor Halfan calmly looked over the reports of her patient, her back arching slightly as she sensed her patient sitting up. Turning her yellow eyes to Linda, the Cathar tried to look as non-threatening as possible as she spoke, seeing the wariness in her patient.

"The ceramic injections into your body had to have been agonizing..."

The Cathar stated, drawing Linda's sharp gaze. The Spartan merely nodded, not bothering to summon the memory of the painful procedures that had cost half of the original seventy-five Spartans their lives.

"Its almost impossible to determine your age... how- how old are you?"

The Spartan stared at the Alien Doctor with no expression and the Cathar frowned, slowly moving her sore arm as a bone knitter attempted to repair the damage done by the Spartan's violent reaction to her resurrection.

"I was born in 2511 Ma'am. Its 2552... I suppose that would make me forty-one."

Doctor Halfan examined the human's hardened features, noting with some unease that she didn't look more than twenty-five.

"When were these procedures administered?"

The Cathar asked, curious to if all humans in this galaxy had such agonizing operations done to them. They would certainly be stronger and faster but the genetic mutation rate of such a procedure would be horrendous in comparison to its success rate.   
"I'm not at liberty to say, Ma'am."

That answered the Cathar's question and the Doctor nodded, not pressing the issue as she turned her attention back to the datapad in her hands.

"Well you are in superb shape for a woman of your age... I'd almost think you were a Jedi if I didn't know better."

Raising a brow at being compared to one of the Sith's enemies in their own galaxy, Linda tensed slightly, though she felt no threat from the alien doctor.

"How is that?"

The Spartan ventured, having nothing else to do and deciding silence would not fit. The Cathar's eyes narrowed the slightest of fractions before she weighed her words and spoke.

"Jedi train from a very young age. Over the course of their lives they grow into the peak of physical perfection but the damage done to their bodies at such a young age, mainly in the Guardian class remains in their bone structure. You share a lot of those same markers in your structure..."

That was way too close to the mark and Linda said nothing, merely staring at the Doctor in silence. For some odd reason the alien reminded Linda of Doctor Halsey, the creator of the Spartan II program and in many ways the Spartan's surrogate mother. The Cathar had overcome her anger at her injury and in her current state, Linda could draw a great many deals of comparisons between her calm and collected creator and the alien before her. With her thoughts falling to Reach and the Doctor's likely demise on the world, Linda's expression grew blank as she mused quietly to herself of the fate of her people and what these Sith would bring to the table in regards.

"Oh for the love of-"  
Revan was leaning against a wall, breathing heavily as he tried, very hard to remain calm. Blooding to death internally was not doing his patience any good and Revan was already in a foul mood. Closing his eyes, Revan kept his breathing calm, trying not to overtax himself. The _Spartan_ as they called him, the Chief was speaking with the Captain and occasionally glancing at Aven and himself. Revan understood enough of the conversation to know that his assumptions of Halo had been correct. If the Covenant thought that whoever controlled the fate of Halo would control the fate of the universe, he'd just have to start controlling it them. The long walk to the bridge had been agonizingly slow and Revan had to stop several times to keep from falling flat on his fact. Each time the Jedi, Bastila had asked him if he needed help and each time, Revan had said nothing, forcing himself to move. Move or die became a mantra within his own mind and the bridge of the Covenant cruiser was a welcome sight.

"Aw man! We're trapped in here! We're screwed! We're screwed, man!"

Revan had no idea what the UNSC Marine was whining about. They were on the bridge of the Covenant ship, the heart of it and they could easily gain total control. Revan said nothing, smirking when Captain Keyes reprimanded the soldier.

"Stow the bellyaching, soldier. Remember you're a leatherneck. Cortana, if you and the Chief can get us to one of those Covenant Dropships, I can fly us out of here."  
The plan was quickly formed and carried out, though two stealthed Elites nearly brought an end to their merry incursion into the Covenant ship. Revan at some point had blacked out and awoke within a Covenant dropship en route to the UNSC Alpha base on Halo.

"You're bleeding internally..."

Bastila stated, her features set in a tiny frown as she knelt beside Revan. Revan nodded, smirking. Catching the smirk, Bastila's frown grew.

"Is dying here something you find amusing?"

The Padawan asked, blanching as she saw the burned wound in Revan's chest was bleeding externally as well. Revan chuckled, shaking his head.

"No I just think the blood loss is going to my head. you're very lovely when you're flustered."

Revan's eyes were unfocused as he felt shock wearing on his system. He honestly had no idea what he was saying as he slipped calmly into unconsciousness, the Jedi Padawan's wide gray eyes regarding him with shock while a faint flush fell on her normally pale cheeks. Bastila regarded the man with a sense of detachment, wondering what exactly that had meant and not having much experience in _that_ area of study if it could be called a study. Shivering slightly, Bastila removed the bandage she had placed on Revan's wound and frowned.

"I hope you have a medical facility at your base."  
Bastila said aloud to Captain Keyes. The Captain did not turn from his uncomfortable seat as he piloted the Covenant dropship, only nodding grimly as he worked the unfamiliar alien controls. John 117 was standing calmly to the side, having a private conversation with Cortana over the recent turn of events. Whoever the wounded man was he was a threat and while the Captain had seemed to strike up an alliance with the Sith, John and Cortana shared the belief that such an alliance was out of necessity and only temporary.

"Jedi you'd better do something fast."

Aven spat, glaring at the Jedi and then returning her glare to the green armored being that had wounded Revan. The Padawan scowled at Aven, about to suggest _she_ do something when she felt a massive disturbance within the Force and her gray eyes turned back to Revan, her brow furrowing slightly with worry.

"If he dies, Malak will kill everyone and everything on this ringworld."  
Aven warned, knowing it to be the truth. Malak would not take Revan's death well and she herself was almost powerless to do anything. So immersed in the Darkside, Aven could scarcely summon enough lightside energy to heal her own wounds let alone Revan's and with a scowl, the Twi'lek turned her sharp obsidian gaze back to the Jedi. If Revan survived he would awaken to the knowledge that a Jedi he had been threatening with torture and death moments before had saved his life. It would be a significant blow to the Dark Lord's pride and likely a blow to what little morale the stranded Sith had. They were dependant on their enemies for help and at that thought, Aven turned her gaze back to John 117, her cold eyes never leaving the Spartan as the Jedi behind her summoned the Force around her, trying desperately to save her enemy's life. Aven knew Revan had enough honor to let the Jedi live, he'd likely even refrain from torturing the silly girl and the Sith Commander scowled. At this rate she'd never be Revan's or Malak's apprentice.

Watching the Jedi as she had been identified by Captain Keyes trying to save the Sith Lord's life, John furrowed his brow in confusion. The lines between friend and enemy were blurring and that was simply something that the Spartans were not familiar with. When something was unfamiliar it was a threat and the Spartan kept his gaze locked with Aven, noting the similarities between the Sith he had killed and the one glaring openly at him.

"You'd almost think she knew."

Cortana muttered out of the blue as if reading John's thoughts. The Spartan blinked, wanting to frown but keeping his face expressionless as he silently agreed with Cortana. What a mess this had turned out to be.


	10. Chapter 9: Pride

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 9: Pride

"Is there anything else I should know?"

Doctor Halfan asked, raising a brow slightly at Malak's troubled expression. Malak shook his head.

"Normal battle injuries for the most part. Revan and Aven are the ones I am most concerned for. According to Aven's transmission Revan was struck in the chest by a projectile and Aven's rib cage was shattered. Aven was able to have a little in the way of healing but Revan was forced to cauterize his wound to prevent further blood loss."

The Cathar nodded, the eight Sith troopers accompanying her were loaded with medical supplies as well as heavy weapons issued to most SIth special forces. The black armor of four of the soldiers and the red of the other half marked them as elites and Malak was sorely tempted to send a handful fo Dark Jedi as well. Revan's warning of the physical strength of their opponents stayed Malak's hand and the Dark Lord's apprentice held his own compliment of Dark Jedi to defend the _Interceptor_, should it come to that. Revan had spoken briefly of the Covenant but Aven, despite her injuries had gone into greater detail as Revan lost consciousness.

"There is one thing."

Malak did not answer right away and Doctor Halfan sighed, crossing her arms impatiently.

"Anytime now, Malak."

The former General of the Republic narrowed his eyes, pulling a blaster pistol as well as the belt with the holster from a nearby Sith soldier and tossing it to the Doctor.

"You're a Doctor, yes but you are a Cathar first and a Sith second. It may become necessary for you to defend yourself."

The Cathar caught the holster on reflex and nodded slowly, knowing quite well that just because a foe was unarmed didn't mean they were not still attacked. The Doctor had the distinct feeling the Covenant would make no distinction between combatant and non-combatant and decided not to argue. Treating the injured required no oaths in their galaxy and it was simply a personal decision to help others, no form of the Hippocratic oath existed for the Sith or the Republic, merely a set of standards that any wishing to practice medicine had to meet.

"What of our guest? I'm certain she would be eager to return to her people..?"

Malak shook his head, his features slowly becoming suspicious.

"No, I don't think that is most prudent. I'd like to keep an eye on her until we can fully understand what her armor can do. We had a droid try to use part of the gauntlet and it smashed its hand. We used a slightly upgraded droid and it functioned properly but... humans outside of the Force simply do not have the reaction time to use the armor without injuring themselves. The suit is a bloody power vacuum but we found a thermonuclear core was being used to power it. Can't say having a miniature nuclear core in my armor would be a fantasy of mine but they don't appear to have the technological capabilities of creating a stable power core that is not radiological."

Having a basic understanding of mechanics as most Sith did the Doctor frowned.

"How does it compare to the power suits our soldiers wear?"

The Doctor unconsciously gestured to one of the Delta Legionaries. Malak frowned slightly.

"Consider ours to be Gizak and that nuclear monstrosity a Rancor."

In other words don't get punched by someone wearing the strange green armor.

"Alright, we'd better go or Revan will have our heads."

The pilot of the transport stated. Malak nodded, feeling the hull of the _Interceptor _vibrate as it passed into Halo's atmosphere. With so many Covenant ships around they were going to make a quick insertion with a small fighter escort. The transport was loaded with medical supplies as well as weapons, armor and several small vehicles and repulsor packs for their soldiers on the surface so there was little in the way of room for more than the doctor, the legionaries and the pilot. The landing bay doors opened and orange fire streaked alongside the invisible shield that kept the atmosphere of the landing bay pressurized but allowed solid objects such as ships to pass through. Stepping back, Malak watched as two fighters lifted and raced out, quickly followed by the transport and turned towards the bridge.

John 117 sat in the back of a fully loaded Pelican dropship as it skimmed the surface of one of Halo's oceans. Above, the Spartan saw an orange streak across the sky and his visor magnified to shot the distinct outline of a Sith heavy battle cruiser. Knowing that their unlikely allies had called in for reinforcements, John was not surprised and calmly waited as Cortana scanned the ship with his armor's sensors.

"Ion-based engines, energy deflector shielding and the power reading is off the charts!"

The AI was slightly excited at her first view close-up of a Sith capitol ship and John remained silent, following some of what the AI was telling him but keeping his mind on the mission. He was to secure a beachhead and fight his way inward to something the Covenant called the silent cartographer. Whatever the thing was, the Chief knew the UNSC couldn't afford to let the Covenant, or the Sith for that matter control it. Checking the safety on his MA-5B, John 117 felt the craft shift as the pilot shouted.

"We're coming in hot!"

The Chief stood, leaping off the back of the craft before it touched down and rushed forward, his MA-5B spraying a stream of deadly projectiles into Covenant Grunts and tearing through flesh and methane packs. A click and a zero on the weapon's ammunition indicator and the Chief calmly primed a grenade, sending it into the middle of a group of three Covenant Grunts and an Elite as his shields flared bright gold and he took cover, waiting for the shields to recharge and reloading. As the indicator on his heads-up display charged, John leaned from his cover, seeing that one the Elite had survived the grenade and fired seven rounds at the hulking alien. The Shanghielle's shields had absorbed the blast from the grenade but its armor did little against the shredder rounds of John 117's MA-5B.

The _Interceptor_ quickly rose from Halo's atmosphere, its once gray hull blackened from Covenant plasma and the heat from reentry. Malak arrived on the bridge, walking to the viewport and calmly crossing his arms as the ship rose into space to reveal four Covenant ships on a direct intercept course. With a smirk, Malak decided to play a game with the Rakatan's own modified gravity generators that had turned their Interdictor generators into more than a crude method of destabilizing subspace. Quite the effective weapon when given enough time to make the calculations and Malak watched as the Covenant ships formed into a triangle, having learned from their predecessor's mistakes.   
"They aren't going to break this time."

Malak turned to the ship's captain and nodded.  
"Slow us down until we're within range of their weapons, then we'll see how good they are at-"

"Detecting subspace rupture, they're doing a microjump."

Malak quickly gained control of the situation.

"Track their heading and charge the main weapon. We're not going to be so lucky on this one."

One of the Covenant ships jumped and Malak cursed. They hadn't had time to make the proper calculations and the Covenant ship materialized ahead of them, a blue-white field of energy crackling around it as it emerged from slipspace.   
"Keep this heading and split them in two."

The _Interceptor's _pulse laser charged and fired, slicing the Covenant ship in half. The hull of the _Interceptor _groaned as it slid through the debris field and the ship shook as a the three Covenant ships that remained reached firing range and opened up. The first plasma torpedo impacted on the shield and dissipated on the backside of the _Interceptor, _nearly shorting out the Ion engines.

"Turn into it!"  
Malak shouted, the crew responded without hesitation, used to stressful battle situations and the Interceptor's side was struck with the other two plasma torpedoes. Seeing a glowing orange flash along his ship's hull, Malak cursed as damage reports began rolling in.  
"Forget this, launch a bloody nuke in the center of them."

Malak ordered, seeing that they wouldn't last very long without their shields. The damage from the debris had nearly collapsed their shields and Malak knew he was lucky that the only one of the Covenant's shots had actually struck their ship full-force.

"With pleasure, Milord."

A small object emerged from the _Interceptor_, only visible by a white speck of an Ion engine surrounded by a red glow as its fuel ionized in the vacuum of space. Malak and the _Interceptor's _crew turned away as a bright glow of a thermonuclear explosion momentarily blocked out the darkness of space. As the light dimmed, Malak turned his eyes back to the pursuing Covenant ships, his eyes widening as he saw that one still remained, encased in a golden field of energy.

"Looks like their shields are solid..."

Malak muttered, unable to believe the ship could survive a nuke and not the ship's pulse laser. Then again, most of the technology on the _Interceptor _was Rakatan and Malak had no idea of its capabilities.

"Two more Covenant ship on approach. Shields are down but we're working on it."Malak crossed his arms calmly.

"Send a fighter with another nuke to finish that bastard off and lets get the hell out of here."

The order was relayed and a Sith fighter with a nuclear payload was quickly launched. Malak felt the _Interceptor_ vibrate as it began picking up speed and frowned.

"Run a check on our inertial dampeners."

The crew complied and another Covenant ship was engulfed in a nuclear explosion.

"Fighter is clear and on its way back. Inertial dampeners were damaged from the attack but they are still operating at 96 efficiency."

That meant they'd feel themselves moving but it wasn't a particular danger. Malak nodded, his brown eyes flickering across the damage to his ship as he stared out of the viewport. They were lucky and he knew it.

"Casualties?"

Malak asked, watching closely as energy was fed into the ship's Rakatan systems and the damage slowly began repairing itself. The bald former Jedi could still scarcely believe such technology existed but ignored his thoughts as he listened to his officers.

"Twenty-nine dead and sixteen severely wounded. They're being taken to the medical bay. Most are suffering from severe burns from the plasma weapon. The hull is still stable and we've only suffered a two percent loss of power."

Malak nodded, frowning as the fighter docked with its mother ship and they moved away from their Covenant pursuers.

"Milord, detecting another subspace rupture."

Sighing, Malak rubbed his eyes.

"How good is that star chart we've been making so far?"

The ship's navigator frowned at her console.

"We might be able to find out way back if we jump, sir."  
Malak nodded, knowing they were dead if they stayed. The Covenant had a few extra ships from what he remembered and they had adapted their tactics. They'd have to adapt as well.

"Do it."

The _Interceptor_ vanished in a streak as it entered hyperspace. The Covenant ships pursuing broke off, unable to track the craft's course as they could the slower UNSC vessels.

_"Break off. We await the arrival of divine prophets. Soon we will cleanse the sacred ring of the demon's taint."_

The orders of the Covenant Fleet Master were followed and the ten Covenant ships that had reinforced the first of Halo's attack groups took position around the ring, waiting for their communications to get through. Soon _High Charity_ itself would orbit the sacred ring, looking on at the wonder of the holy Forerunners and more world-ships would soon arrive as the entirety of the Covenant would await the Great Journey. The organization of the fleet and the withdrawn to their massive space stations such as _High Charity _and _Unyielding Hierophant_ the second of which was poised to make a direct assault on the rumored human homeworld.

"Incoming!"

Marines were at full alert as three specks appeared on the horizon. Sometime in the night a small group of Covenant had tried to infiltrate Alpha base but were quickly discovered and turned back. Already on alert from that, the captured Covenant Shade turrets as well as the small compliment of Scorpion tanks and Warthogs turned their guns to bear on the distant objects. A figure in red and black stepped outside one of the makeshift cubical shelters that made up the UNSC base and looked to the sky before calling to one of the Marines.

"Those are from our ship. It would be most unwise to attack them."

The ground emplacements could barely track the two Sith fighters as they screamed past, their wing-foil design causing a loud whine as they passed through the air. At this point the entire base had been alerted and half-dressed Marines and weary crewmen moved from their barracks and into the small plateau that made up Alpha Base.   
"What the Hell is going on here you alien freak?"

Major Antonio Silva asked harshly, missing his helmet but otherwise fully dressed in his black ODST combat powered bodysuits. The armor was basically a drastically cut down version of Spartan MJOLNIR armor and the strongest that unmodified humans could safely wear.

"Our Lord is injured. We called in our ship's doctor. I do not answer to you, human."

Glaring at the Sith Commander, Major Silva refrained from any further actions as he turned his attention to his marines and made a stand down gesture. The Marines complied warily as the Sith transport lowered to the ground and Aven moved slowly, still suffering greatly from her own wounds to meet them. The rear of the shuttle opened and immediately all of the Marines present raised their weapons as four shadows clad completely in black armor moved out, their weapons facing the ground but still very much at the ready. The leader of the unit of Delta Legionaries raised his hand and the four formed a square around the ramp. Four more soldiers clad in Elite Sith armor of red moved to reinforce the Deltas.

"Did you bring the Doctor?"

Aven asked, her normally vibrant red skin a pale shade of dark pink. The leader of the Deltas nodded and kept his stance as he looked to the Marines around them.

"Stand down."

Aven ordered, knowing the soldiers wouldn't like it but saying nothing further. The leader of the Deltas seemed to hesitate before nodding slowly and relaxing his stance, slinging his blaster rifle over his shoulder.

"Commander Aven, Doctor Halfan is on the ship collecting what she will need."

Aven nodded sedately.

"Very good Lieutenant Rand. The rest of the men are with the _Jedi_ and Lord Revan. Apparently she's trying to keep him alive if you'd believe it."

Atton Rand, special forces Lieutenant of the Delta Legionaries frowned beneath his black mask. Why would a Jedi try to help Revan. Then again, the Sith special forces soldier merely nodded, dismissing it as more Jedi lies and moved back into the transport, grabbing the Doctor's case and carrying it as the Cathar frowned at the soldier and followed. Revan had personally trained the Deltas to kill Jedi and they were more assassin than soldier. Still, they had been soldiers at one point and the Doctor knew better than to argue. Her arm was still tender from the damage Linda had done and it was thoughtful of the soldier to remember.  
"Thank you Atton."

As the Cathar stepped from the transport, she pulled her white jacket around herself tightly and glared through cold yellow eyes at the stares she received from the UNSC soldiers. Having lived on Taris for a time with other Cathar refugees, the Doctor was not warmed by the looks of bewilderment and disgust the xenophobic humans gave her. Seeing Commander Sek'tai, the Doctor frowned and her brow lowered from a glare to concern.  
"Aven, I can tell by looking at you that you're hurt. Get the bloody hell back in bed."

Aven swallowed, nodding as she turned. The Sith Commander staggered slightly but was caught by one of the Deltas.

"I don't need your blasted help!"

The Twi'lek spat, wresting away from the Delta's grip. The Delta released the Dark Jedi immediately, knowing signs of weakness were not tolerated within the Sith and tilted his head in acknowledgment.

"Now just a minute, we have to clear this shit before you start laying it around my base-"

Major Silva heard the clicks of a hundred MA-5Bs before he registered a glowing crimson blade inches from his neck and the cold obsidian glare of the Twi'lek Sith. The ODST was getting the feeling that the Sith were, for lack of a better term; point blank and in your face.

"We can level this base in seconds with our fighters. Shut your mouth before I shut it for you."

At that point, Captain Jacob Keyes had emerged, fully dressed and looking as if he were meeting a Vice-Admiral.

"Marines stand down. We're in alliance with these Sith and I'm sure Major Silva was just expressing his concerns over the equipment, weren't you, Major?"

The Captain glared at the ODST and Major Silva swallowed his pride, nodding slowly.

"Yes sir. Proceed."

Aven's glare narrowed and the Twi'lek deactivated her lightsaber.

"See that this does not happen again, Captain. Or I cannot guarantee the safety of your men."

Having seen firsthand what Revan had been able to do to a Spartan, the Captain had no doubts to the powers of the enraged alien before him. Turning his gaze to the newcomers, Captain Keyes knew he was looking at trained killers as soon as he spotted the dangerous stances of the soldiers. In the confusion they had again taken defensive stances and the Captain noticed they were protecting another individual.  
"I'm sorry but we usually inform ground forces if we're going to land in the middle of a base. You'll have to excuse my men. We're not used to your... culture."

The Deltas slowly, cautiously moved from their defense of the Doctor and relaxed their stances. The Doctor was the priority, she was needed to heal Revan and their lives were expendable next to Revan's. All were willing to fight and kill and die for Revan, he had saved them and he was their leader, their Lord. It was a loyalty few could fully understand as they turned on their old beliefs and embraced Revan's teachings, but it was more necessary than anyone would have admitted; anyone but Revan. The Captain's brow rose slightly at the new alien before him but he did not openly gawk as some of his soldiers did. The Doctor straightened her white coat and Captain Keyes caught a glimpse of a holster belt, concealed beneath the jacket.

"I apologize. Darth Revan is right this way."

The Cathar doctor's face was blank as she nodded, seeing that this was the man in charge of the base and the one that had been rudely delaying her had merely thought he was in charge.

"Very well, you may call me Doctor Halfan."

Captain Keyes smiled politely.

"Captain Jacob Keyes."

The UNSC Captain extended his hand and the Cathar looked down at the hand with a frown.

"I suppose you don't know the history of my galaxy but that is a Mandalorian gesture and I am a Cathar. The Mandalorians destroyed my people so I hope you don't take offence if I do not return the gesture."

The UNSC Captain pulled his hand back, controlling his discomfort and nodding politely.

"Of course, I'm sorry, Doctor. It's a human custom to shake one's right hand. Archaic since most humans of my race are right-handed. A way of showing we have no weapons in our weapon hands. A greeting between friends if you will."

The Doctor's expressionless face did not change.

"We are not friends."

Captain Keyes felt a flush on his cheeks at the scathing manner in which the Doctor spoke but nodded again.

"I don't suppose we are. Its lost its meaning over time and is used as a non-hostile greeting."

The Doctor's yellow eyes moved to Captain Keyes' hand and she frowned slightly.

"Members of the Republic do that from time to time but the gesture is lost on most of the Sith. We do not initiate contact with potential threats as they call pull you into a false sense of security and who's to say just cause one hand is empty, the other does not hold a vibroblade?"

Assuming a vibroblade was a knife or dagger, the Captain nodded politely again. He'd kissed ass with the best of them and knew how to keep his cool.

"Perhaps our cultures can learn from one another."

At this, the Cathar smirked.

"I believe Revan has been sharing our culture with the Covenant all day."

Unsettled by the bloodlust in the alien's eyes, Captain Keyes swallowed and nodded. What strange beings but then, the Captain did not know the Cathar were a passionate race and their humor often times rivaled the Mandalorian's in its sadism. Stepping past the UNSC Captain, Doctor Halfan walked towards the cubical structure Aven had vanished into and calmly began laying her equipment out on the empty cargo containers that littered the room as Atton and the other Deltas brought the containers in. Several wounded Marines and UNSC Crewmen were nearby but the Doctor paid them no mind, her concentration completely on Revan. Pulling out a small medical scanner, the Cathar walked to Revan's side, noticing with a frown the Dark Lord was laying on the floor with his head propped up by his armor wrapped within the Jedi's brown robe. Obviously the conditions on the surface for medical attention would be crude at best.

"Has he regained consciousness at all since the communication?"

Bastila Shan shook her head, turning her eyes to the Doctor before looking back down at Revan's pale face. Whatever the projectile had done to Revan, it had done well as the Dark Lord was still losing blood. Laying a hand on the Dark Lord's forehead, Doctor Halfan frowned, reaching down and taking Revan's wrist in her clawed grasp.

"His heartbeat has slowed significantly. Luckily its still getting enough blood through his system to keep him alive but... It looks as if he may be bleeding internally as well..."

Bastila nodded, a small frown on her delicate features.

"Yes, several times he was forced to defend himself on the Covenant ship and I believe the wound reopened and the projectile migrated somewhere."

The Doctor nodded to the Jedi. She knew enough to know something was wrong but not enough to do anything about it. Looking closely at her scanner, Doctor Halfan rose a brow, the thin layer of vibrantly colored fur on her neck standing on end.  
"The projectile is actually digging in to his heart. He shouldn't even be alive..."

Acting immediately, Atton began throwing out equipment needed for an emergency operation. The three other Deltas had holstered their weapons and were following suit, all having a basic understanding of medicine and knowing what would be needed.

"I take it this is your doing?"

The Doctor asked, indicating the bandage around Revan's wound. Bastila nodded, a slight flush to her cheeks as she looked back down at Revan's motionless form. The Force around the main was screaming in agony but Revan did not move, did not speak, his eyes flickered slightly beneath closed lids and his jaw was clenched tightly, but Bastila somehow knew he wouldn't cry out, even in his sleep.

"Are you keeping him unconscious?"  
The Doctor asked quickly, using a surgical blade to slice away Bastila's bandage. The Padawan nodded slowly, trying to stay out of the way but for some unfathomable reason anxious to help.

"Good, see that you keep him under. Revan has a pretty poor attitude when he's wounded this badly and its no sense having him awake while I dig that blasted primitive chunk of metal out of him."

Bastila could feel Revan in the back of her mind, pushing against whatever was keeping him unconscious, fighting to hold on to his own life. At first it startled the Padawan with how close it felt, how real it felt but Bastila relaxed slightly, feeling the confusion within Revan. Reaching into the back of her mind, Bastila could feel Revan and the Padawan shivered slightly.

_"Oh Force no. This can't be happening."_

Knowing what a Master-Padawan bond felt like, Bastila knew exactly what had happened. As she had tried to keep Revan alive on the dropship ride to Alpha base, she had somehow bridged their minds through the Force and Revan, being weakened and delirious had allowed it. A Force bond could not be forced and both individuals had to want the bond for it to form. Blanching at that thought, Bastila scowled down at Revan. He would most definitely have no peace when he woke up, perhaps it was petty and childish but he wasn't the one Force-bonded to a Sith Lord because he tried to do the right thing.

"His pupils are dilated, give me a kolto injector and a bloody set of tweezers. We're going to have to get that projectile out fast and then seal it with Kolto directly if we want it to heal. Have the defibrillator ready in case we need to resuscitate him."  
Atton complied, bringing over the equipment while his three fellow Deltas held Revan's arms and legs down.

"Jedi, this is probably going to wake him up so try to keep him calm. A pretty face and a nice clean accent always did that for Revan. Atris could do wonders for him before he fell."

Bastila nodded, still annoyed by the bond but not wanting any actual harm to come to Revan. In any case Malak would go insane and destroy everything and that would do none of them any good.

"Hold him, Atton, make sure he doesn't move."

As soon as the scalpel cut into Revan's cauterized wound, Bastila felt the bond shift and recede as Revan's brown eyes snapped open. The Dark Lord's eyes were gold for a fleeting moment before they cleared to a dark brown and Revan opened his mouth, taking in a deep gasp of air.

"Bloody- Dammit, hurry the Hell up!"

The Padawan moved to the side of Revan's head as the Deltas held down their Dark Lord, all knowing if Revan truly wanted them off of him they would be off. Laying a hand on Revan's forehead, Bastila attempted a small smile as the Dark Lord's eyes searched hers.

"Actually, Doctor. Take your time."

Revan smirked, eyeing Bastila appreciatively and the Padawan flushed. Did the man have no shame? There he was bleeding to death as they tried to pull a bullet from his chest and he was bloody making inappropriate jokes. Bastila's smile turned to a scowl and Revan's smirk grew before he winced and a small exhale marked a sharp increase in his pain.

"I was joking about taking your time, Anara."  
Doctor Anara Halfan rolled her eyes. Revan acting this way when wounded was nothing new. It was the way he set an example for his men. He wasn't afraid to bleed with the rest of them and unlike the soldiers, Revan did not take any painkillers during his surgeries. Half the time he was in a coma if he required surgery so it didn't surprise the Doctor. Sometimes Anara wondered if Revan truly enjoyed the pain of if he used it as he used his hatred, saving it for when he wound need it in a fight.  
"Got it, Atton inject him, now."

Atton immediately injected a syringe of Kolto into Revan's bleeding chest wound, the chemical acting almost instantly as it entered the wound and began healing at a vastly accelerated rate. Still pale and still smirking, though the smirk had shifted into more of a grimace, Revan remained perfectly still, channeling his pain into the Force to be called upon at a later time. Pain led to anger and anger was the fuel of the Darkside.

"I think- I think I'll just close my eyes for a moment..."

Revan muttered, his eyes rolling back into his head. Bastila's scowl turned to a frown as the Padawan searched the whites of Revan's eyes.

"Bloody- He's going into anaphylactic shock, quickly find a epinephrine injection."

Atton, being the only one not holding Revan down or trying to keep him awake moved to the medical supplies, his brown eyes searching frantically before he found the correct injection and handed it to the Doctor. Doctor Halfan injected Revan, nearly in the wound on his chest and pulled out the needle, pulling off her surgery gloves and replacing them before finding a breathing apparatus in case Revan lost control of his body. Bastila felt the bond she and Revan had formed wane as Revan lost consciousness and the Padawan, not knowing what else to do began searching Revan's mind, trying to find Revan and pull him back through the Force.

Atton narrowed his eyes at the Jedi as she closed her gray eyes and laid a hand on Revan's head. Watching for any signs of treachery, the Delta nearly went for his weapon when Revan jerked violently. Before Atton could do anything, Aven Sek'tai had hold of his weapon hand and the Delta turned to the Twi'lek, frowning.

"She's trying to help. Let her."

Frowning, Atton nodded, turning back to Revan and crossing his arms. There wasn't much else they could do and the Doctor seemed to be waiting for sometime. Atton's eyes locked on the Jedi Bastila's face and he noticed her pale complexion turning pink slightly as the Padawan opened her gray eyes and scowled down at Revan.

"You have a bloody disturbing and sick mind!"

The Padawan spat icily, nearly leaving in outrage before she stopped and glared down at Revan, her features not softening.

"Are you going to live?"

Revan had awakened with a smirk on his face, his eyes following the Padawan the entire time.

"For shame, Bastila. Those weren't my dirty thoughts."

The Padawan's face was crimson as she turned and stormed from the cubicle. Bewildered, Atton looked down at Revan and saw the Sith had turned to him.

"This one is mine, Atton. No torture and no killing."

The Delta nodded, saluting and stepping back with the rest of his squad. Doctor Halfan looked a cross between worried and annoyed.

"Really Revan if she wasn't here you would be dead and then we would be dead when Malak found out."

Revan chuckled, his breath catching a moment before he cleared his throat and nodded instead.

"I know, but it was hard to resist. If she wasn't a Jedi I think I would actually like the girl but alas, the woes of being a Sith Lord."

Knowing Revan hadn't been serious since he'd been wounded, Doctor Halfan pulled out her scanner and did a checkup of Revan. The Kolto as well as the Force was healing the Dark Lord at an exponential rate and in a day or two, Revan would be as good as new.

"I still can't believe it whenever I see you or Malak heal."

The Doctor stated, turning her attention to Aven. Aven caught the Doctor's look and obediently sat, pulling off her armored breastplate and then her tunic as the Doctor wrapped a bone knitter around her rib cage and injected the Twi'lek with Kolto and painkillers.

"Keep Revan some company for the rest of the day, Aven. Neither of you should be walking around."

Scowling, the Twi'lek sat on the floor beside Revan, pulling on her tunic and glaring at the Cathar.

"I'm going to treat the other wounded if I can and then I want to know what did this to you, Revan. Since when did you start getting careless?"

Revan said nothing, his eyes staring at the doorway as a mischievous glint shone in their brown depths. Seeing part of Bastila's mind had been rather interesting and Revan had to admit, the Padawan wasn't all that hideous to look at either. Turning his gaze to Aven, Revan smiled slightly.

"You just gave all the boys in here an eyeful, you know that?"

Aven rose a brow, wondering what had Revan in such a good mood. Rarely did Revan act, playful being the only real word to describe it, unless he was in a really good mood. Shrugging, Aven leaned her head back and closed her eyes, her arms resting over her chest as her breathing slowed and she fell into a light sleep. Revan cleared his throat, swallowing and took in a deep breath, feeling a slight burning sensation in his chest over the mind-splitting pain when he took too deep of breaths.

"Deltas, get your things together and meet the other Sith. We'll have a talk with Captain Keyes this evening about what we should do in terms of Halo. I personally don't want to lay around this base all week."

Atton nodded, his face obscured beneath his mask as he and his fellow Deltas retreated. The four crimson armored Sith Elites remained to guard the door while Revan watched the Doctor work on the wounded UNSC crewmen and Marines. Through the Force Revan could feel Bastila's shock and outrage but beneath all of that, there was a hint of surprised interest. The Padawan obviously hadn't been around men very often, at least men that weren't Jedi. Smirking, Revan relaxed slightly as he thought of ways to make the Jedi miserable. It was only fair considering she had made a potentially dangerous bond with his mind that would allow them to share their thoughts and dreams and Revan had no wish to share the dreams of a young woman.

"Revenge you are my art."

Chuckling, Revan closed his eyes and joined Aven Sek'tai in unconsciousness while a certain Jedi Padawan shivered slightly at what a glimpse in Revan's mind had shown her.

"There is no passion... There is serenity. No passion, serenit- oh Bloody why does he have to look so handsome when he smiles."

Scowling, Bastila crossed her arms in a huff and stalked across the Alpha base, her cheeks still pink from Revan's inappropriate comment in her mind of her outfit. Looking down at her form-fitting robes, Bastila frowned as she realized it left very little to the imagination.   
"How the bloody Hell does he concentrate with all that clutter in his deranged mind?"

The Padawan wondered, wishing she were wearing her cloak as she turned back towards the makeshift hospital. However wrong it seemed, Bastila couldn't help but smile slightly at the memory of Revan, delirious with blood loss on the Covenant transport calling her lovely. It had been so long since anyone had complimented her it seemed and the Padawan felt some of the stress of her situation slowly slide away. While she was in his mind, Bastila knew Revan was angry but she also knew he wouldn't allow her to come to harm, not after she had saved his life so thoroughly. Smirking, the Padawan knew he wouldn't giver her any peace for being forced to let her live but then, she wouldn't be too cooperative with him either.

AN: And now the Pride of Revan and Bastila will start butting heads... Decided to show the Covenant's not as big of pushovers as the Sith thought, hope you all enjoyed!


	11. Chapter 10: Breakdown

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 10: Breakdown

Darth Malak paced the bridge of the _Interceptor_ furiously, his eyes glancing from time to time at his crew before returning to the floor as he thought long and hard about their situation. They had lost track of where they were after the jump and while Malak could sense the general direction Revan's presence within the Force was in, a general heading just did not cut it in space travel. Trying to reach through the Force to get a better sense of Revan's presence, Malak sneered in disgust at his own inability to handle the situation. The first thing Revan had ordered him to do was to begin charting the stars and he had gotten carried away with the battle and their Spartan guest. In the pit of his stomach, Malak knew there was going to be Hell to pay if he didn't find a way back to Halo and fast. The Covenant appeared to be growing in strength and he needed to cut off their reinforcements. The only way to do that though would be with more men and more ships.

"Status on the Rakatan drive?"

Malak asked. The apprentice of the Dark Lord of the Sith walked to the console and frowned down at the display.

"We'll need to speed up work on it... We have no common bearings but we can still get back to our galaxy if we can repair the damage taken..."

In his mind a plan began to form and Malak rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he nodded to his navigator.

"Good, send all available technicians that are not working on repairing the damage from the fight to repair the Rakatan drive. We're going back to the Forge and we're going to make a bloody fleet and hit the Covenant back with a full task force."

Malak knew it would take time to first repair the Rakatan hyperdrive and then make the fleet he would need. The Star Forge was a powerful tool though, and Malak knew all this would be accomplished within a week. Letting out a calming breath the former Republic General did not let his thoughts lay on the situation of his own galaxy. All that mattered was the Star Forge, which was more than safe from the Republic and then Halo and Revan. The whole of the Sith fleet would be refitted and those that weren't actively fighting the Republic, Malak would take back with him to Halo. While they couldn't find their way to Halo from where they were, Malak knew the program the ancient Rakatans used to calculate their course from their own galaxy to the milky way would work. A mere reverse of the equation would return them to their own galaxy and Malak knew he could find his way to the Forge from wherever he ended up.

"So long as it isn't Coruscant..."

Frowning at that thought, Malak decided to stop thinking too deeply on the issue and began looking over the damage reports to his ship. They'd mobilize the droid armies of the Star Forge as well as the stationed Legions and Dark Jedi. The Covenant would pay for each Sith they had struck down a thousand times over. His hands balling into fists, Malak's cold brown eyes glared at the damage reports of his own ship. He would most certainly have a nasty surprise for the Covenant when they returned.

"What is this thing?"

A Shangheilli on board the Covenant CS Class cruiser _Truth and Reconciliation_ asked a floating Huragok. The Covenant Engineer merely let out a high pitched wail, its tentacles slapping the Elite's hand away from where it was resting on a rust-colored chassis. Glaring at the Huragok but saying nothing, the Elite left the Engineer to its amusements. They kept the ships running and the weapons shooting so the proud Shangheilli could let one infraction upon his honor slip. The Covenant Engineer turned its attention back to the scorched and severely damaged form of HK-47 before it began its work, more Huragok joining it as slowly, the mechanical creation before them took form.

Revan opened his eyes slowly, seeing the small form of Bastila Shan pacing back and forth before him. Glancing to his side, Revan saw Aven still unconscious and sighed as he rubbed his eyes and sat up, the pain in his chest diminished greatly, though still agonizing.

"What's got you in a snit, Princess?"

Revan asked, deciding to begin the mockery straight off. Just because the Jedi saved his life didn't mean he needed to act grateful. Stopping her pacing, Bastila looked over to Revan in surprise, rushing to his side when the Dark Lord attempted to stand.

"You shouldn't stand. You could harm yourself further."

Revan rolled his eyes, the action visible as he was not wearing his mask.

"So long as there aren't any trigger-happy green men in armor I'll be fine."

Clearing his throat, Revan pushed back with his right hand on the ground and forced himself to stand. Bastila's small hands snaked under his arms and helped him stand and Revan was surprised at the gesture. He must have been unconscious for a while if the Jedi had calmed down that much. Breathing in slowly, Revan closed his eyes, his head tilted down slightly as his muscles in his neck tensed against the stabs of pain echoing through his body.

"Help me get dressed and I won't bother you for an hour."

Surprised, Bastila took in Revan's state and flushed slightly. Revan was only wearing a bandage, his trousers and his boots, granting the Padawan with a clear view of Revan's impressive physique. The man obviously knew how to take care of himself as he was not too built to restrict his movements, yet built enough to be strong and fit. The Padawan looked down with a frown at Revan's blood-stained tunic and bypassed the item, searching through several of the crates that the Sith had brought with them. Finding a similar tunic, Bastila checked Revan's bandage before helping him put on the shirt and then his armor. Through all this Revan said nothing, his eyes were closed as he fought against the pain his new position was causing him and he gritted his teeth together until the Jedi had fastened the last buckle to his armor. Finally fastening Revan's cloak to his armor, Bastila stepped back and took a good long look at Revan.

The intricacy of his armor was impressive and the Padawan saw there were only a few openings, mainly behind Revan's thighs and beneath his shoulder guards. Revan's neck was fairly exposed but Bastila assumed most of the armor was designed for a frontal assault and that Revan's fighting style worked around the weaknesses left in his armor. Obviously some armor was better than none and Bastila pulled a silver breastplate from a container, pulling the Sith armor over her chest and looking down at herself, satisfied that Revan would not be so keen on pointing out how revealing her outfit was. Glancing up, Bastila frowned as Revan knelt slowly, his actions pained to retrieve his mask. Revan was standing again, attaching the mask with his right arm before Bastila could move to help him and the Dark Lord nodded to the Jedi.

"Thanks, make sure to get some gauntlets or vambrances too. Most of the injuries you'll suffer that put you in true peril are ones that cause you to drop your weapon."

Not quite knowing where that had come from, Bastila nodded, pulling a pair of silver vambrances from the case and fastening them to her forearms. Flexing her hand open and closed Bastila smirked.  
"Its not too constricting..."

Revan nodded, glancing at Aven's slumbering form before he nudged the Twi'lek Dark Jedi with his boot gently. Aven's eyes snapped open and she nearly jumped to her feet, the dull ache in her chest stopping her before she stood completely. Revan's right hand reached out and grasped Aven's arm and the Sith Commander nodded to Revan, standing and glancing at Bastila with a raised brow before looking to Revan. Both Sith shrugged at each other and Bastila frowned at whatever unspoken words they had exchanged before Aven dressed herself in some Sith armor minus the helm and tilted her head at Revan.

"Your left arm isn't functioning?"

Revan's left hand opened and closed and his lips pressed together in a firm line, unseen beneath his mask.

"Muscle tissue damage from my wound. My neck is fine but I better find a sling or something to keep my arm from getting in the way of my blade if we get into trouble."

Aven nodded in agreement and pulled out a black sash similar to the one Revan wore around his hips and wrapped it over the right side of Revan's neck and helped Revan put his arm into the makeshift sling. Revan's face twitched as the pain vibrating through his body increased at the movement but it slowly dimmed to a dull and more manageable ache when he had his left arm secured properly.

"Lets get something to eat and then we'll rally the Sith and speak with Captain Keyes..."

Glancing around with a frown beneath his mask, Revan wondered silently where Doctor Halfan was before mentally shrugging and glancing at Bastila.

"You can join us if you wish, Padawan Shan. Make sure we Sith aren't making any evil plans."

Aven looked at Revan in disbelief. The Dark Lord was almost joking openly and Revan's only humor as of recent came in the form of a homicidal assassin droid and very crude what the Twi'lek called Mandalorian humor. Surprised at how respectful Revan was acting, Bastila decided not to look a gift-Bantha in the mouth and nodded sedately. Her stress level had been rising dramatically since setting foot on Halo and Revan hadn't been helping. If he were going to call a truce, she wouldn't invite his ire, yet.

"Very well, Lord Revan."

Raising a brow in surprise, Revan decided, titles aside, he would be civil. About ten minutes into his argument with Captain Keyes over the active status of the Sith on Halo, Revan's civility had all but crumbled and Bastila had moved far from Revan's side, staring at the Sith Lord with wide, slightly frightened eyes. She couldn't see the expression on his face but Bastila knew Revan was furious, the Force was practically suffocating in Revan's rage and Aven even looked wary. All things aside Revan needed to be thrown to the Covenant because he seriously looked ready to kill.

"Fine."  
Captain Keyes decided after nearly two hours of arguing with Revan. The man was impossible to reason with.

"We have an ongoing operation to search for the Silent Cartographer. Cortana tells me it's a map of some kind, likely of Halo and we need to keep the Covenant from laying their hands on it."

Revan knew the Captain had been reluctant to let the Sith have a hand in this and his voice was cold, carrying a chill to all who heard it.

"I will not be swept aside. Halo will be in our hands, or in the Sith's alone. I will not allow this structure to fall outside of my control if as you say, it controls the fate of the galaxy."

Captain Keyes sighed, running a hand through his short gray hair.

"Look. Its UNSC policy to secure alien artifacts that could present a threat to us. I am obligated by the articles of those rules to first secure the site with _my _men. There is no sharing this power."

Revan looked as if he would strike but calmed, the Deltas and Dark Jedi flanking him looking ready for a fight but waiting for Revan to make his move. Surrounded by hundreds of UNSC Marines and Naval personnel was not a favorable situation and Revan knew, loathe as he was to admit it that Captain Keyes held all of the cards.  
"Allow the bloody Jedi to inspect the site then if you don't trust us. I just want to know if its going to be a threat to _my_ people."

Bastila looked surprised that Revan would lay such a claim. She had been under the impression Revan did not respect the word of a Jedi as truth yet he was placing a lot of trust in her. Glancing at the Captain, Bastila could easily read the man's answer and she suddenly felt uncomfortable in the presence of the UNSC soldiers.

"No one outside of the UNSC will be allowed near the Cartographer. If you want to share power you're going to have to swear an oath and uphold it to the articles of the United Nations Space Command. Seeing as you are not a citizen of _any_ UNSC colonies or of our homeworld, I cannot allow you access to Halo's weapons."

Revan stared through his mask at Captain Keyes, admiring the man's courage but enraged.

"Then this alliance between Sith and UNSC is over. My people and I will leave and find our own way. Should any of your forces engage us it will mean a war you will not live to see the end of."

Revan closed the distance between himself and Captain Keyes and his voice dropped to a whisper so only the Captain could hear.

"And I will make it a point to find your daughter as well."

Captain Keyes' expression did not change, to his credit and he merely stared at Revan. Revan finally turned to leave, glancing at Bastila.

"Your choice, Jedi."

Looking between the Sith Lord and the UNSC Captain, Bastila felt herself more safe in the presence of her own galaxy's natives. A stray thought had echoed from the mind of the Captain's second in command, Major Silva and Bastila knew some of the Sith had been executed before reaching the base. Only the ones that had accompanied Charlie company had actually made it to Alpha base and Bastila knew Revan could sense it as well.

"My mission is to convince Revan to cease hostilities against the Republic... I am sorry Captain."

Captain Keyes frowned at Bastila but nodded slowly as the Jedi and Sith left his cubicle.

"Want me to take care of them?"  
Major Silva asked, already having dirties his hands with the blood of several Sith that had intercepted his company of ODST's. Glancing sidelong at the Major, Captain Keyes shook his head.

"We will not provoke them. Call it a hunch but I think it is going to be very vital to us not to piss that man off anymore than we have to."

Major Silva's eyes were narrow but he nodded slowly, deciding an accident could be arranged at a later time. Neither Sith nor Jedi knew where the Silent Cartographer was and they were without reinforcements. Only the threat of the starship above stayed the UNSC soldier's hand in eliminating a potential threat to Earth. Humans or no, the Sith were a very real threat to Earth and what remained of the Colonies.

"Get what you can and load the transport. We'll go back to where Charlie Company was retrieved and from there we will begin working on analyzing Halo's structure."

Aven nodded to Revan's order, moving ahead to collect Doctor Halfan as the Deltas moved to get the other Sith soldiers in line and ready to move.  
"Bastila I am going to give you the rank of Commander in the Sith military if you agree not to harm my men unless they are a direct threat to you. I offer you my word you will not be harmed and should we ever return to the Republic, I will stay my hand. I do not need to conquer the Republic if I can control Halo, do you accept."

Revan had stopped walking and was facing Bastila fully. Bastila reached through the Force, feeling out the bond she had created with Revan and sensing the man was telling the truth, nodded. The humans of the UNSC were brutal, violent and their actions against Sith that showed them very little hostile intent was appalling. Bastila glanced at Revan curiously, her mind dwelling on the missing Sith that had been, according to their last transmissions to the Sith's command base on Halo before it was overrun, aiding the humans of the UNSC. While Captain Keyes had been a good man, Bastila was extremely unsettled by Major Silva and many of the crude UNSC soldiers that occupied the base. It seemed being an outsider was almost as bad as being a Covenant.

"About- about your missing men..."

Bastila began, her voice wavering slightly. Revan's face was expressionless beneath his mask.

"I know. We'll sort that all out later but we need to leave. Now."

Bastila could feel the threat in the Force growing around them and knew that the threat of Malak's _Interceptor _was all that had kept them alive. The UNSC's view was simple. No one could ever know the location to Earth and no one could be allowed to directly threaten Earth. The UNSC was fighting for the very survival of the human race in their galaxy and they needed to be harsh to protect their world, or it would crumble to ashes and glass as the thousands of other worlds and the trillions upon trillions of lives that had been lost to the Covenant. Earth needed a miracle to survive and Halo was it. Halo's power could not be shared with the Sith who's motives were shady at best when compared with the UNSC's motives. An alliance for control of Halo was simply something the Sith and the UNSC and the Covenant could not afford. Two were fighting for the survival of their worlds while another was fighting for its very soul against what it perceived as demonic enemies sent to destroy their holy union. Within the course of a day the UNSC/Sith Alliance had crumbled and the race to Halo's rumored power began in earnest.

Watching the Sith calmly leave along with the Jedi Padawan, Captain Keyes sighed. Maybe he had made a mistake but he had ordered and the Cole Protocol was the only thing that had kept Earth, kept humanity alive for so long after the Covenant's appearance. The Jedi and perhaps her Republic were trustworthy from what he'd heard but the Sith, Captain Keyes knew the Sith were only there for information. He had little doubt that Revan would hesitate to stab him in the back once they found Halo's weapon. Briefly considering ordering his men to shoot down the transport as it lifted off and flew away, Captain Keyes spotted two specks in the distance, the two Sith fighters that had accompanied the transport and held off. Sacrifices had to be made to protect Earth and, recalling his own involvement in the kidnaping of seventy five children, whom he strongly suspected were the Spartans years before was something that weighed on his conscience. Looking at the transport as it flew away, joined by its fighter escorts, Captain Keyes sighed and turned to Major Silva.

"Find out where they're going and keep an eye on their progress. Send Lieutenant McKay, she has a level head and will know what to do."

Silva nodded, his face emotionless. The Sith were a threat and the Jedi had sided with the Sith, making her a threat.

"They're already plotting to kill us."

Aven muttered, rolling her eyes wearily. Revan and herself weren't even fully healed and already they were under fire from another threat. With a smirk, the Twi'lek looked across the hold of the transport to where Revan was sitting with Doctor Halfan and the Jedi Bastila.

"This reminds me of the second week on Dxun."

A shudder unconsciously wracked Revan and he carefully shielded his mind from Bastila. No sense driving the poor girl insane by what he was remembering.

"You are a very wicked woman."Revan spat, glaring through his mask at Aven's smirk. The Twi'lek's face did not change and Revan sighed, leaning back and allowing his mind to dwell on their situation.

"These humans are primitive in their beliefs and tactics and as such we cannot allow our own feelings to get in the way. We will let them work, let them find where this weapon is. I'm sure Captain Keyes will want to see it himself when it is discovered and we will follow his presence well."

Aven nodded, having been studying the Captain's presence within the Force and easily able to distinguish it from the other human's.

"As of this moment the Sith are no longer at war with the Republic or the Jedi Order. My orders are to be transmitted to all forces to avoid confusion. Malak, I am certain is far from Halo at the moment so a subspace carrier signal will be needed to reach him. Take us to the wreckage of the human's vessel and from there we will use their communications technology. It should be compatible."

The pilot complied and the Sith transport banked, making its way to the _Pillar of Autumn's _crash site. Bastila's eyes were wide and her mouth slightly agape.

"That- that's it? The- the war is over?"

Revan glanced at Bastila and nodded.

"The Sith have bigger problems at the moment. I'll order Malak back to our galaxy and from there he will send the order to all Sith Forces. They will of course be allowed to defend themselves from hostile or retaliatory actions from the Republic bu until then, they are to hold their ground. If all else fails the Star Forge and Rakata will supply us with what we will need..."

Not knowing what Rakata was, nor the Star Forge, Bastila opened her mouth to say as much when what sounded like water splashing against the hull of a ship reached her ears and she frowned.

"Covenant ground forces using low threat plasma-based weapons. Nothing to worry about... yet."

Revan answered to one of the Padawan's silent questions.

"Deltas suit up with the Repulsor packs. Get to the communicator while we keep them busy."

Revan ordered, knowing his injuries made him more of a burden than an asset at the moment. Four black-armored Sith stood and strapped repulsor packs to their armor, each standing in a square and checking the other Sith's equipment. None of the Sith showed any reactions to Revan's cease-fire with the Republic and all knew what was at stake. Without the weapon the UNSC AI Cortana was speaking of, they would fall under the control of whoever else controlled Halo. Since the Sith would fight for control, they would likely be wiped out, as there were no other options for them.

"We need that weapon."

Bastila started at Revan's statement, her thoughts torn. It was painfully obvious something had Revan worried and she could tell it wasn't the UNSC or the Covenant.

"Revan what is so terrible that you'd turn on everything? What was so horrible that you abandoned the Republic?"

The Padawan's voice was quiet but then, so was the transport as soon as she spoke. Shifting of armored plates sounded as the Deltas all turned to her, anger rolling off of them. Bastila glanced nervously at Aven who was regarding her calmly, her obsidian eyes widened slightly at the Padawan's question. Revan raised a hand, motioning to the Deltas to stand down. It was a well guarded secret amongst the Sith but he would entertain the Padawan.

"The Sith."

Revan stated simply. Bastila looked confused and then angry as she glared at Revan.

"I asked you for a bloody answer. If you want my help-"

Revan cut Bastila off.

"And I gave you an honest one. I'm not talking about my Sith, I'm talking about _the_ Sith."

It took a moment for the Padawan to realize what Revan was talking about. Stunned slightly and sensing no deceit from Revan, Bastila opened and closed her mouth before speaking again.

"But- how- how is it possible? They'd all been destroyed after the Great Hyperspace war..."

Revan and the Sith around him laughed.

"Are you serious? You think the Jedi's pathetic attempt at genocide worked on them? Do you not read history? The Massassi Sith of Yavin IV? They were wiped out not forty years ago and you think that something that escaped the Jedi's notice for a thousand years would only be an isolated incident? The Sith have been waiting, growing in their power and they are preparing to strike back at the Republic. They want nothing more than the complete annihilation of the Republic and that is why this weapon is so important, that is why my complete control of the Republic is so important. If we are to defeat the Sith we'll need every possible advantage and Halo, my dear Padawan is a very significant advantage."

Not bothering to go into a history lesson about the Rakatans or the Forerunners, Revan motioned to the Deltas, watching as they popped the seal on the hatch and dropped from the transport. Glancing briefly at the Padawan, Revan smirked as he saw the pale and stunned look in her face.

"Want to know a few more truths?"  
Revan asked harshly. Bastila turned her head slowly to Revan and shook her head from side to side, leaning back into her seat and swallowing.

"I- I think I'd rather have some time to understand this first..."

Revan exchanged a look with Aven before shrugging. They hadn't had time to get used to the idea of the True Sith, they'd just been lucky to survive.

"Sir, line open to the _Interceptor._ We've got a problem."

Revan glanced sharply at the pilot, turning his gaze back to Bastila for a moment before he moved to the front of the transport and opened the comm line.

"Before you start, Malak. We are no longer at war with the Republic."

Malak's crossed arms lowered from his chest and dropped to his sides in surprise. The Sith Lord exchanged looks with his bridge crew before, almost as one they all shrugged. None of them really cared one way or the other.

"You're lost, aren't you?"

Revan's voice held a hint of good humor and Malak sighed in relief. Behind him, Linda was standing calmly at ease, trying to figure out exactly what her place was on the ship.

"We're working on it..."

Malak replied, a small flush on his cheeks. A chuckle over the line from Revan surprised Malak but he waited for Revan to answer. Revan could be heard breathing over the comms before he sighed and finally spoke.

"I want you to return to our galaxy, release all Jedi and Republic prisoners, send word of a cease fire to the Republic and pass along orders for all our forces to only defend the worlds we hold. Is that clear?"

Malak rubbed his face, wondering if he was dreaming.

"Clear, Revan. What of the Covenant and the UNSC?"

Revan was quiet some time and Malak frowned.

"The UNSC has attacked and killed a good number of our forces on this world. Their leader... this Captain Keyes was rather turned off to the idea of sharing power. The second on the base, a Major Silva I am going to kill personally but until that time, return to the Forge, build me a fleet large enough to subdue a bloody Republic sector and get back here as quickly as possible with as many men, ships and droids as possible."

Behind Malak, Linda had stiffened and was looking around warily, spotting two armored Sith guards approaching her with their weapons drawn.

"Oh and Malak.."

Malak remained silent, his senses picking up a threat through the Force.

"Kill your _guest."_

Malak turned, focusing the Force to strengthen his body as he caught Linda's hand. The Spartan twisted, a lightning quick jab to Malak's chest sending the apprentice back and Malak lost his hold on Linda. Two blaster rifles whined as their energy packs charged and Linda advanced on Malak as he staggered back from the force of her blow. Malak, through blurred vision and a good deal of pain caught Linda's next attack, throwing the woman across the bridge with his enhanced strength.  
"Delay that order!"

Malak shouted as the Sith rose their weapons to fire on Linda. The Sith paused while Revan's chuckled sounded over the comms.

"No need to kill her just yet, Malak. That was merely a test."

Malak rubbed his chest, scowling at Linda as she rolled to her feet, her stance lowered slightly as her arms raised, like claws in front of her face. Seeing that she was fairly well versed in an unfamiliar martial arts, Malak wiped a trickle of blood from his lips and swallowed back a mouthful of the bitter fluid.

"Stun her, now."

Linda managed to dodge five of the stun bolts sent towards her before two hit their marks and she collapsed to the deck. A third and fourth were needed to fully subdue the Spartan and Malak staggered slightly, feeling pain searing his chest. Using his knowledge of previous injuries, Malak knew the woman had cracked several of his ribs and nearly collapsed one of his lungs. Thanking his crimson fiber armor and the Force, Malak let out a shaky breath, channeling his pain into the Force.

"That was bloody uncalled for, Revan."

Revan, sensing Malak's injuries through the Force frowned deeply. One Spartan had nearly killed him and another had injured Malak badly.  
"Keep her under constant guard. Be mindful of your guest, Malak. She is more than she seems."

Malak could not help but agree as he glared cooly down at Linda's unconscious form.


	12. Chapter 11: Sith Persuasion

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: Got a good critical response from a reader. They asked if I had said in a previous chapter if the Star Forge had collapsed due to Revan and Malak's absence. As of yet Malak has not returned to their galaxy and I have the paragraph right here from the previous chapter as to the fate of the Sith in the SW galaxy.

_For close to two years the Republic would not know what became of the Jedi strike team sent to infiltrate the Sith flagship, or of Darth Revan and Darth Malak. All the Republic would know would be two years of victories as the Sith Order of the Star Forge crumbled and fell away to infighting and their own fleet. The fate on those onboard the Revenge and the Interceptor would be in the hands of their crew._

Just to clear any confusion... I know its been a while but there is a point to all of this... I think...

Additional Note: Whoops on posting my other chapter for KOTOR: The Power of Choice before. My bad, I was tired when I posted.

Chapter 11: Sith Persuasion

Gray material, similar to duracrete stood in stark relief against the brown rocky cliffs and green vegetation of the small island that Revan had tracked Spartan 117's strike force to. Slowly the side of the Sith dropship opened and four black-armored forms leapt from the back, repulsors cracking to life as they slowly lowered the Delta Legionaries to the surface of Halo. Bodies of Marines and Covenant littered the ground and the structure was painted in splatters of red, blue, violet and orange blood. Hovering over the dead bodies, the Deltas spread out, dividing into two groups as they landed on the ground with soft clicks of their armor. The repulsor packs died down, falling silent and the Deltas moved, back to back with their partners as they swept the outer part of the Forerunner facility. A hand raised and moved in a circle and the Deltas fell back from the interior of the structure, regrouping as Atton, the leader of the squad held a hand to the side of his helmet, resting his blaster rifle on his right shoulder.

"Structure is clear. The UNSC vehicle is cold but we're setting to stun in case we run into any humans."

Revan received Atton's transmission and moved to the crowded aft section of the transport, loaded with Sith, supplies and a single Jedi.

"Take us down."

Revan ordered before turning back to his sad remnants. Of nearly a hundred thousand soldiers that had been stationed on the massive _Revenge_ only twenty-five remained aside from the Sith Elites and the Deltas. Glancing at Aven, Revan nodded and the Twi'lek Dark Jedi moved to the side of the transport, leaping down in a silent crouch before she moved off the support the Deltas. Stealth field generators activated and the four Deltas moved slowly into the structure, their forms barely visible as distorted blurs. Aven reached out through the Force, sensing only a few humans in the general vicinity and motioned to the transport. The transport landed on the outcropping of the Forerunner facility and the ramp lowered. Twenty Sith troopers with the four red-armored Elites moved out in four groups, securing the perimeter while the remaining waited in the transport.

"Alright, start unloading."

The transport's engines died down and Revan moved outside, a blaster pistol in his right hand as his lightsaber hung on his belt. Glancing behind him, Revan waited for Doctor Halfan and Bastila to exit before ordering the other five Sith soldiers and the pilot to begin moving supplies into the structure. The material looked similar to Duracrete but it was also a type of strange metal and Revan had a feeling it would be a lot safer than sitting out in the open in a valley on a plateau. Especially if the Covenant had air superiority. The Sith transport rose again, its engines a steady roar as it turned, backing into the narrow shelter provided by the structure and an overlooking ridge. Two Sith fighters slowly approached, their wings folding as they lowered their landing gear and took their places on the structure's platform.

"What were the UNSC looking for here?"

Bastila asked curiously. She felt rather left out and was trying to stay out of the way. Revan's Sith were well trained and were moving very quickly to get their tasks completed. The Sith pilot had managed, somehow to hack into the _Pillar of Autumn's_ communications relay to get a message to Malak and Bastila watched with apprehension as a Sith battle droid was unpacked from a crate and Revan moved to the droid, reprogramming the cybernetic soldier to move the leftover Covenant cargo containers and devices in the area into battlements. The droid's bulky form moved along with two massive arms, pulling its single center leg in the same manner an injured humanoid would use crutches before it retracted its arms, moving the discarded Covenant cargo containers and crating fairly effective barricades to the entrances. A series of pops and cracks alerted Revan to their proximity to UNSC forces and the Sith Lord smiled grimly as he entered their makeshift base.

"Why are we choosing this position?"

Bastila finally asked, unfamiliar with warfare and curious. Revan glanced at the Padawan through his mask, his features fairly relaxed as he ignored the pain his movement caused his still healing wound.

"I had one of the techs with my earlier landing squad analyze the Covenant communications chatter. They were looking for a map on Halo called the Silent Cartographer. From what the tech gathered it is in this general area..."

Revan glanced down at a dead UNSC soldier, nudging the body aside with his boot.

"Its fairly obvious that the UNSC was here before us and we're going to find that map and get to the weapon before they do..."

Fixing Revan with a calculating look, Bastila crossed her arms and rose a brow.

"And what is the position of the Republic in your new order?"

Bastila asked warily. If she were going to help Revan any further than saving his life it would have to be for more than just some weapon. She couldn't, in good conscience work with the Sith to help them enslave more worlds or kill more people.

"Shared power. The Sith will withdraw after a series of concessions and we will only keep our holdings on Rakata, Korriban, Roon, Malachor V, Manaan and Ziost. The space is connected of course and will be heavily controlled by the Sith... but... Aside from security measures I would see no reason to use this weapon... whatever it may be. We may be able to reason with the Sith if we prove to be a significant threat to them... until then I would prefer to have a bit of leverage in case we fall under their ire... well... more so anyways."

Bastila reached through the bond, surprised that Revan did not bother blocking her. The Dark Lord was telling the truth and for a moment, the Padawan could sense a flicker of sorrow in the man's mind. Catching on to the Jedi reading his thoughts, Revan closed off his mind slowly as to not cause Bastila any mental pain. If he was going to be bonded to the girl, he would at least try to be civil. Seeing Bastila's curious and open gaze, Revan shifted uncomfortably. Bastila's eyes widened slightly, imploring Revan to speak.

"That is a dirty trick."

Revan snapped, glaring at the Padawan with no real anger. Sensing the weariness in Revan's aura, Bastila held out her arm, smiling slightly as Revan reluctantly took it and allowed the Padawan to hold up some of his weight.

"We'll find a place for you to sit down..."

Bastila reassured Revan, causing the Dark Lord to shake his head in disgust at his own weakness.

"It seems such a waste... The war with the Republic. This weapon can be the answer to the threat of the True Sith... It just... seems such a waste... the war on the Republic..."

Shaking out of his thoughts, Revan pulled his arm from Bastila's balancing himself on the wall of the Forerunner structure and sitting down on a Covenant cargo container. Knowing she wouldn't get much more out of Revan, Bastila moved to where Aven was speaking quietly to Doctor Halfan to see if there was anything she could do to be of use. The Sith and the droids they brought with them seemed to have the situation under control and the Padawan sighed in resignation as she worked her way back to Revan, scowling at the Dark Lord's masked features.

_"Since when did I become **his** bloody bodyguard."_

Catching the Padawan's stray thought, Revan smirked beneath his mask, closing his eyes as he channeled the Force into his body to help heal his injuries. Bastila, sensing Revan's intents allowed part of her essence to flow around Revan's; surprised slightly at the clarity and ease at which the Force came to her in that moment.

"I- is that how you always feel when you touch the Force?"

Bastila asked, amazed at the ease at which the Force responded to her touch. Revan nodded slowly, glancing over at Doctor Halfan as the Cathar all but forced Aven to sit down. The Doctor pulled a small medical scanner from her coat and scanned Aven's previous injures before injecting the Twi'lek and giving a small lecture of being careful. Looking rather sullen, Aven moved to the ramp that descended deep into Halo with a frown. The Deltas had not returned though their life-forces were still strong and Aven glanced at the two dozen Sith working on making the building secure. The three pilots of the transport and the fighters stood near the entrance of the structure, speaking to one another in low tones as they divided parts for their craft amongst themselves. With a sigh, Aven resigned herself to watching the ramp for any signs of the Deltas as she rested, Doctor's orders.

"Ship is repaired and clear for jump."

Malak frowned deeply. It had only taken a few hours to repair the Rakatan drive fully. Obviously the Rakatan technology's ability to repair and regenerate itself was a valuable tool and the Sith Lord turned his thoughts from his anger at his prisoner and to the task at hand.

"Set calculations and jump when ready. Once we are in our galaxy again, get our bearings and jump to the Star Forge. Immediately."

Few Sith outside of those closest to Revan and Malak knew of the Star Forge. Malak was fairly certain the trail of supplies from the Forge to the front had stopped altogether without any orders from he or Revan. Stumbling slightly as the _Interceptor_ jumped into hyperspace, transitioning instantly across the vast emptiness between galaxies, Malak frowned as a thought occurred to him. The Sith would likely be under the control of a Lord on Malachor or Korriban and, with a shudder, Malak wondered if he'd have to start killing the opposition before he could get anything done. Darth Revan's word was law and no Sith questioned that. At least, no Sith that was within his reach.

"Captain, the bridge is yours."

The captain bowed deeply to Malak as the Sith Lord moved with rapid steps through the _Interceptor_. With a deep scowl, Malak felt a twitch of a sneer on his face as he boarded the lift to take him to the detention block. Linda 058's strike against his chest had cracked a few ribs and bruised his lung. Nothing too serious after a simple healing meditation but Malak was not going to allow his guard to drop again in her presence. Revan had made a similar error, expecting a Covenant and not a genetically altered supersoldier. Reaching his destination, Malak entered the cell block, passing the red-armored elite guards without a thought and coming to stop outside of Linda's active cell. The Spartan was standing directly against the forcefield, testing its limits as Malak stopped before her, his cape swirling at the abrupt halt and turn.

"You and I are going to have a nice, long talk."

Malak's voice was a hiss, his face showing his rage. Linda did not acknowledge Malak, calmly continuing the test the forcefield. With a sneer, Malak turned to motion for the field to drop. Instantly, Linda rushed Malak, an invisible hand stopping her and holding her in place. Malak, using the Force restrained the Spartan; channeled a powerful burst, sending the Spartan into the back of the cell where she collided roughly with the wall. Barely flinching at the rough contact, Linda finally turned her eyes to Malak, her chiseled jaw setting as she stared emotionlessly at Malak's enraged countenance.

"I know what you are, I know what your armor can do and I know your motives."

Slowly, Malak's hold on Linda eased enough for the Spartan to no longer feel pain from the invisible pressure crushing down on her.

"Your purpose, I am curious of, though. Are you a mindless drone or are you an individual with your own mind?"

Malak was secretly intrigued by his inability to read the woman's thoughts and intents and knew she had to have either a strong mind, or a disciplined one.

_"Or both..."_

The Dark Lord thought silently, his brown gaze unwavering from Linda's green. The Spartan's emerald eyes flashed as she slowly studied Malak, assessing his abilities. He had telekinetic powers that were simply beyond her and in his armor he could take a blow that in all truth would have sent her hand through a normal human's chest. Malak ignored the feeling of the _Interceptor _jumping between galaxies and ignored the alarm as the ship's systems suffered from the jump. Instead his concentration was completely on his prisoner.  
"Petty Officer Second Class. Spartan 058 Linda."

The Spartan snapped off her rank and designation, her face blank. For an instant the pressure around her rose to a painful level as lightning, blue-white snaked around Malak's outstretched hand and a look of pure hatred crossed the tall man's face.

"We're back to this, I see. Very well."

Stepping back, Malak made a motion with his free hand and the security forcefield rose. Releasing his Force-hold on Linda, Malak crossed his arms calmly as the _Interceptor _again jumped into hyperspace on its way to the Star Forge and he narrowed his eyes.

"Until I am certain you are no longer a threat to my men or myself you will be kept here under armed guard. While I am not present you will be sedated."A black spherical droid hovered beside Malak, a syringe with a long needle extending from its form and Linda's eyes flickered for a moment but she remained the picture of calm.

"You will be interrogated at a later time by Revan. If you answer my questions I may be able to spare you _that_ trouble..."

Thinking of Revan's unique methods of breaking Jedi, Malak shuddered slightly. They hadn't had the chance to use the techniques in earnest aside from on Malachor V and for that, he was silently grateful.

"Sir, if I may speak frankly."

Linda stated. Malak's brow furrowed slightly but he nodded.

"Fuck you."

Knowing he had been insulted but not understanding the words, Malak merely rose a brow.

"Well I won't be the one to deal with you, so I wash my hands of this."

Raising his hand again, Malak restrained Linda as the droid moved into the cell, the forcefield collapsing with a simple gesture from Malak. Linda strained every enhanced muscle in her body, trying to fight the hold on her but the prickle of a needle in her arm and a burning sensation told her it was all for nothing. Feeling her vision blur, Linda tried to move and found her limbs not responding as she collapsed to the floor. Malak, having released his hold on Linda glanced down at the Spartan with an unreadable expression before speaking again to the drugged supersoldier.

"Doctor Halfan was kind enough to provide an analysis of your enhanced genetic structure. Our med-techs have increased the dosage accordingly. I'm sure you'll enjoy what peace you have but Revan, my dear is not a kind man in comparison to myself and I hope you will reconsider."

Knowing the words were pointless to tell the Spartan, but speaking them anyways, Malak waited until the droid retreated from the cell and motioned to the guard to reactivate the forcefield. Rubbing a hand on his face, Malak sighed and decided to get on with Revan's unorthodox announcement to the Sith. No one, aside from perhaps that old mynock Traya would question him and with a disgusted glance at the Spartan, Malak moved quickly to the bridge of the _Interceptor_ to carry out Darth Revan's will.

"How is Atton's progress?"

Revan asked, feeling fairly energized as the last of his injuries healed to within acceptable parameters for Doctor Halfan to let him fight. Aven rolled her eyes at Revan's eager tone, giving her fellow Sith Commander, by Revan's order, Bastila Shan a patient look. The Padawan was being uncharacteristically silent and Aven knew something was going on, something that was weighing on Revan and making her Lord jumpy.

"His last contact stated that he found a chasm within the underground facility that goes deep into the bowels of Halo. He and the Deltas are searching for the map room and as yet have had little success... It's a labyrinth down there I hear..."

Revan sneered slightly at the thought. He'd had enough twists and turns for a lifetime on Korriban and in the Rakatan Temple and he was reluctant to follow.  
_"It may bloody come to that."_

Revan mentally complained, glancing down the ramp that led deep into Halo before he looked between his two Commanders.

"Very well, Aven are you feeling up for a trip?"  
Aven sneered at Revan, though she nodded. Smirking at the disgusted look on his fellow Sith's face, Revan gestured to Bastila.

"Don't worry you'll have company."

Bastila, snapping from her daze glared openly at Revan.

"I beg your pardon but who ever said I would go on one of your bloody wild Bantha hunts? I thought you wanted to wait for Captain Keyes to find this so called weapon and for that matter, who are you to order me around? As I recall _I_ saved _your_ life. I would think that entitles me to a little consideration on your part. You could at least be civilized enough to _ask_ before you bloody make a decision for me!"

Bastila was breathing heavily after her outburst, a steady flush to her cheeks and a challenging gleam in her eyes. Revan, having turned with Aven and half the Sith in the makeshift camp stared in shocked silence at the Padawan. Revan's mask moved as if he wanted to speak before it shook from side to side and Revan brought a hand to the base, rubbing it thoughtfully.

"As a Commander in the Sith Military, a rank I so kindly bestowed upon you so my men would not question your presence, would you be so kind, my dear spoiled Jedi Princess to accompany Commander Sek'tai on a simple mission to find a simple bloody map?"

The flush on Bastila's cheeks darkened considerably and Revan watched in slight surprise as the Padawan placed her hands on her hips, the picture of indignation.

"I am _not_ spoiled. I am not a bloody Princess and I am _not_ one of your hapless minions to order around."

Several of the nearby Sith had offended looks beneath their helmets but decided to watch the exchange. It had been literally years since someone had stood up to Revan and lived and it would be, if not fascinating, amusing to see the spectacle.  
"Oh... my mistake. I did not realize you were a Banshee Queen. Didn't realize you were too above the work of us commoners..."

Revan's eyes twinkled beneath his mask with mischief. It had been so long since he'd had a good verbal and mental challenge and this, he was surprised to say was just what he needed. Bastila's mouth opened and closed before she settled for throwing her hands up in frustration.

"Oooh! You- You are insufferable, Revan! I am not your bloody servant."

Revan made it a point to look like he was studying the Padawan before he closed the distance between them, towering over the small woman.

"Then prove it."

Revan's voice held a sneer as Bastila backed away but he gave the Padawan a respectful look when she collected herself and fixed him with a glare so cold it would rival Hoth's nights.

"Very well..."

Bastila's voice was deathly calm and Aven, not knowing whether to be insulted or amused took a step back. Let Revan deal with the Jedi.

"_You_ go find the bloody map or are _you_ too bloody stupid to find a simple bloody map?"

Hearing his own words thrown back at him, Revan was stunned into silence. Bastila, sensing this pressed her attack.

"Or is the great Darth Revan afraid of the small tunnel? Are you afraid its too dark down there?"

Bastila's voice, to her own utter horror had taken on a childish tone and the Padawan's eyes widened.

_"Oh Force, I'm dead."_

Revan, thwarted by the Padawan's logic took a moment to compose himself. She had torn through his logical assessment with his own logic and he supposed he could get his hands dirty.

"For starters..."

Revan began calmly.

"I am not afraid of the darkness. I embrace the darkness. And to the second point I wish to make, we are being watched my some of Captain Keyes' soldiers. I was going to go confront them but if you feel the need to, you may as well accompany me on _both_ excursions."

Without another thought, Revan turned, his steps long and powerful as he exited the base, motioning for the Sith sentries to remain as he calmly leapt down from the platform, approaching the beach. Bastila, shocked she had not been on the receiving end of a Force-lightning attack rushed after Revan, duplicating his leap and approaching Revan's side while Aven Sek'tai calmly approached the edge of the platform and crossed her arms, watching the display with a smirk. The Padawan had actually been insane enough to put Revan in his place and she could respect that. Revan had always been one to lead by example and she knew that was part of the reason she did not question the man. Obviously he was annoyed by the Padawan's questioning of his actions and, with a smirk, Aven decided to get something to eat and relax. Revan would likely do the work of ten men that day to show the Padawan how wrong she was. Actions always spoke louder than words, he always used to say.

First Lieutenant Melissa McKay's eyes widened incredulously as she spotted Darth Revan heading directly towards her small squad of ODSTs. They had been observing the Sith from a distance, having tracked them to this point and she would have bet her life on them being out of sight. Spotting the young woman that had supposedly been an enemy of the Sith Lord, the ODST sighed, motioning to her five fellow ODSTs to be on guard. Quickly radioing in to base, McKay took in a steadying breath and stood, her MA-5B shouldered and trained on Revan. To the Marine's annoyance neither looked surprised at her presence as they approached.

"Hold."

McKay warned, her finger tensing on the trigger. Bastila slowed, glancing at Revan as the Dark Lord ignored the order and continued on, his right hand going for his lightsaber.

"Shit."

McKay spat, she had not seen but had heard what the man could do and her fellow Marines stood, training their weapons on Revan and Bastila. Revan stopped, his head tilting to the side.

"I'm at a loss here..."

Revan began, his voice deceptively pleasant.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to turn around and leave."

McKay knew she wasn't authorized to kill the man. Starting an intergalactic war with the Sith would have been bad but she also knew that Silva had taken extreme measures against some of the isolated units of the Sith and that, likely the Sith knew this already.

"So you can shoot me in the back... Lieutenant McKay?"

Revan had taken the opportunity to read Melissa McKay's rank and her name. He'd learned rather quickly how to translate the strange earth symbols and was fairly certain he had pronounced the name correctly.  
"Sir."

McKay warned as Revan began spinning his lightsaber in his hand. It was hard to believe that not a day before the man had been nearly fatally wounded and in critical condition. Calming herself, the Lieutenant focused on her mission. She was to assess the Sith threat from a distance and engage if necessary. Avoiding conflict was advised but not required.

A loud crack from a gun sounded when Revan's crimson lightsaber ignited and in a simple motion, Revan's lightsaber extended, vaporizing the single bullet before it would hit its target, Bastila. With his right arm extending outward from his body directly to his side, Revan's left hand had raised instantly and the Marines found, to their shock that their weapons would not fire. Twisting his hand to the side, Revan smirked beneath his mask as the assault rifles crumbled in their owner's hands. Immediately the ODSTs went for their sidearms, their movements slowed before they found their hands frozen on their still holstered pistols and they found their bodies unresponsive as an invisible pressure bore down on them.

"I could have bloody stopped that!"

Bastila spat indignantly. She had been attempting to stop the bullet in mid-air through the Force, rather than with her lightsaber and the Padawan glared at Revan's back.

"You're welcome."

Revan muttered, annoyance clear in his voice. Stalking forward slowly, Revan ran the tip of his active saber an inch from McKay's body as he traced it from her weapon hand to her throat where he kept it hovering. The hum was loud in the ODST's ears and she did her best to fix Revan with a cold glare.

"Revan you can't kill them like this. Not in cold blood."

Bastila's voice was gentle for once, chastising though the statement was and Revan felt himself flinch. The girl had seem him disembowel a Covenant Elite and even kill her fellow Jedi without hesitation and now she was going to enforce her morals upon him. Wanting to kill the UNSC soldiers just to spite that fact, Revan felt the Padawan pull on his mind, through their bond, showing him her own pain at what he was doing. Tightening his grip on his saber, Revan kept his masked features fixed on Lieutenant McKay's face before he lowered his weapon.

"Very well."

Releasing his Force-hold, Revan immediately killed three of the Marines that pulled their sidearms and attempted to shoot him. The other three, too shocked by Revan's display watched. Bastila, sighing at the scene knew Revan only defended himself though she knew he was making an example of the Marines that had drawn their weapons on him.

"That was not necessary, Revan."

Lieutenant McKay remained frozen in place, knowing she was way out of her league. Her two fellow Marines backed away, their hands resting on their sidearms though they did not draw.

"Perhaps."

Revan stated simply, both his hands on his saber as he fixed the UNSC soldiers with a masked glare.

"You three are prisoners, now. You will be treated as I see fit-"

Bastila cut Revan off.

"Revan, for Force's sake let them be."

Wanting to turn and address Bastila but keeping his eyes on the soldiers in front of him, Revan continued.

"You will be allowed to bury your companions but..."

Using the Force, Revan removed the weapons from the holsters of the six ODSTs, crushing them a moment later with a simple burst of Force-energy.

"You will of course not be permitted to keep your weapons."

Seeing the knives on the ODST's harnesses, Revan used the Force to remove those as well, motioning his hand to the side to send them out of reach.

"If you have a problem with that, you can take your chances and run."

Revan waited, seeing that none of the soldiers moved and nodded.  
"Pay your respects then and follow Bastila."

Bastila was studying Revan with an unreadable expression before she sighed. Revan was being generous to the soldiers that were spying on him, she knew and she decided to let him have some peace for the time being. Silently mourning the loss of three more lives to Revan's hand, Bastila kept her focus on the bond between them, channeling her own feelings into the bond and hoping part of the good man Revan had once been would in the very least consider her views. All life was sacred to a Jedi and the loss of any, even in defense, even from an enemy should be mourned. McKay knelt by each dead soldier, collecting their dog tags before she stood, glaring at Revan. Revan merely motioned for the soldiers to follow Bastila.

"Lieutenant McKay."

Revan stated. Stopping, McKay turned and glared cooly at Revan through green eyes.

"By who's order are you spying on me?"

McKay said nothing and Revan eyed the ODST.

"You have lovely hands..."

McKay found herself with her face in the sand an instant later, her right arm buried beneath her weight while her left was pulled painfully behind her. Struggling, McKay could do nothing as the snap-hiss of Revan's saber activated and she felt his weight shift slightly.

"I think I'll take one."

Revan's voice was emotionless and McKay's eyes widened. Struggling further, McKay was saved the torture by Bastila using the Force to push Revan away from her. Immediately, McKay and her two fellow soldiers rushed Revan. Revan recovered quickly, rolling into a crouch and dodging McKay and tripping her as she passed. The first soldier to reach him received a simple, open-hand strike to the face which cracked the soldier's nose, driving the broken cartilage into his brain while the other was thrown by Revan against a rock, his skull cracking and his body convulsing before he died.

"Revan, stop this."

Bastila warned, activated her borrowed blue blade. Revan ignored Bastila, using the Force to call his lost crimson blade to his hand as he turned to Lieutenant McKay. The ODST came to a stop before her charge would impale her on Revan's blade and held her arms out to her side. She didn't like it but she knew there was very little she could do and now her squad was dead. Revan kept his blade trained on the ODST as he glanced at Bastila.

"You have a lot to learn about interrogation, Bastila Shan. I threaten, she submits and I gain knowledge."

Bastila knew Revan wasn't bluffing about slicing off the woman's hand and gave Revan a skeptical look.

"Have you satisfied your bloodlust yet?"

Disdain dripped from Bastila's tone and she wondered idly why she had bothered to save the man. Revan did not answer, keeping his eyes locked with Lieutenant McKay. The woman was shaking, either from anger or fear he could only guess as she had a fairly strong mind and Revan slowly advanced, surprised she did not back away from him and cower.

"Who ordered you to spy on me?"

Revan stated calmly. McKay, shaking with fury glared at Revan, sneering slightly.

"I think we both know it doesn't matter what I say."

Revan studied the ODST carefully before deactivating his lightsaber. He could respect the woman's boldness and she was skilled, though no real match against him.

"Get on your primitive communicator and inform your superior that your squad is dead. They tried to kill me and I saw fit to defend myself. You will then inform them that you, being with them are now, formally, a prisoner of war."

Bastila stood to the side, watching the scene with wariness. She had no idea what kind of political game Revan was playing but she knew the Sith Lord was not to be taken lightly. Glancing down at the fresh human corpses the Padawan sighed, moving to collect the dogtags as she had seen Lieutenant McKay do earlier. She was fairly surprised Revan hadn't lashed out violently at her for interrupting him but she knew the Sith Lord was a complex and strange man. Obviously Revan excused killing the soldiers by the actions of the UNSC towards his Sith and she wondered idly if the Republic would act any differently. Well, aside from the whole dismembering part.

"Alpha one-zero this is Charlie two-niner over."

McKay had pressed two fingers to the side of her helmet and was glaring at Revan while she spoke.

"Roger two-niner this is Alpha what is your status?"

McKay's jaw clenched as she took in a deep breath and relayed her squad's actions carefully and then began radioing her position. Revan immediately slashed his saber along the strap of McKay's helmet, melting her headset and knocking the helmet from her head.  
"None of that, now."

With a glare, McKay moved forward slowly, giving Bastila a blank look as she passed her. Whatever problems the Jedi were having with the Sith, she just knew five of her men were dead and that likely, it could have been avoided.

"I suppose that makes us even."

Revan stated, causing McKay to stop. An unreadable expression crossed McKay's face as she remembered several of the soldiers back at the base talking about finding and executing some of the strange new aliens. She knew they had brokered and then broken a temporary alliance with the UNSC but she had not known that their leader had known about it.

"Oh I do know."

Revan stated, catching the stray thought.

"Four hundred and thirty seven of my men dead actively defending your people and another twenty six killed by your people. Add that to the hundred or so thousand killed on my flagship and in our destroyed base and we, my dear have a very large problem between our people."

Bastila closed her eyes, feeling the anger flickering around Revan like raging flames. The Dark Lord's anger had been well-hidden but obviously it was not diminished. Someone had to answer, someone had to pay for the death of those men and the Padawan sighed. She couldn't take Revan but she wouldn't roll over for him on command. The best she could do would be advise him, intervene physically if necessary and then only as a means of making him think, not as a means of truly stopping him.

"Yes sir."

McKay stated simply, most of her anger vanishing into understanding. Her squad was dead, that sucked but she could understand the Sith Lord's anger. They had come in good faith to help them defend against the Covenant and had been killed by her own people. The fact that the powerful Sith hadn't used his ship to level Alpha Base was a testament to his patience. Giving one last glance to her dead companions, McKay sighed, surprised when the young Jedi handed her the newly fallen's dogtags and gave her an apologetic look.

"We're wasting time and I still have a map to find."

Revan's voice snapped, drawing McKay away from Bastila's eyes. Knowing things were more complex than they normally would be, McKay absently rubbed her wrists, swallowing as she marched towards the Sith camp. She wouldn't talk but she didn't particularly relish the idea of being tortured for information. Measuring her options, McKay decided to wait for another escape attempt, hoping she could get past whatever guards Revan placed.


	13. Chapter 12: Its Not So Calm Before the

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 12: Its Not So Calm Before the Storm

First Lieutenant Melissa McKay of the 105th Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Division stood, stone-faced against a wall, her eyes never leaving the two crimson armored Sith guarding her. Both were too far away for her to rush and neither were giving her any room to work otherwise. The two red-armored Sith Elites said nothing and merely stood, guarding their prisoner with their weapons never wavering.

"Commander Sek'tai, keep an eye on the prisoner. Padawan Shan will wait here and assist with _any_ difficulties."

Bastila crossed her arms stubbornly at Revan's order and glared at the Sith Lord. Neither seemed willing to back down and Revan smirked beneath his mask, ignoring his prisoner.

"Unless you'd like to join me in the bowels of this place."

Sensing a darkness that the Sith scanners could not locate beneath her, Bastila uncrossed her arms, sighing.

"If I can be assured your soldiers will not mistreat the prisoner, I may consider it."

In truth the Padawan wanted some time alone with Revan to convince him to see the UNSC as individuals and not an obstacle. McKay glanced sharply at the Padawan before sighing and seating herself. A Sith approached, tossing a small device on the ground at the end of her small enclosement. The device hummed and a flash of light revealed some kind of energy field that was similar, though not identical to Covenant holding cell forcefields. Revan considered Bastila's demands and decided he could wait before dismembering the nosey ODST.

"Very well. Make sure she's alive and unspoiled when I get back."

The two red-armored Sith guarding the ODST saluted and Revan moved towards Aven, nodding over his shoulder.

"Have the pilots get some rest. We may need them up in the air pretty soon."

Aven nodded and moved to speak with the pilots while Revan moved to Doctor Halfan.

"Anything to add before I leave, Doctor?"  
The Cathar raised a brow, studying Revan with a medical scanner and shook her head.

"You're fine. I'll assume I should just keep the prisoner company?"

Revan huffed slightly on a half-laugh.  
"Do what you will, Doctor."

Doctor Halfan nodded, approaching the edge of the cell and checking her medical scanner. A small frown worked its way on the Cathar's face and she looked up to the UNSC soldier.

"So your species doesn't exercise genetic engineering as a whole?"

McKay's red brow furrowed slightly and the Marine's hardened face stared at the alien.  
"The Spartan, Linda 058?"

Revan stopped, turning back to the Doctor and Bastila stopped with Revan, barely avoiding walking into the Dark Lord after his abrupt halt.

"Spartans? Like that one that shot me?"

Doctor Halfan glanced at Revan and nodded. The Dark Lord walked back over to the doctor and frowned beneath his mask.

"What did your readings tell you of these Spartans?"

Deciding it would be easier to show Revan rather than explain it all at length, the Cathar brought up the data on her medical scanner and showed the genetic comparison of Lieutenant McKay and Linda 058.

"That's bloody barbaric..."  
Revan paused in his assessment, smirking.

"I like it."

Turning, the Dark Lord moved back down the ramp, ignoring the bemused look on his Cathar Doctor or the startled look on the ODST. Bastila sighed, deciding half the things Revan said wouldn't make sense even if she knew the subjects he was referring to and followed the Dark Lord at a cautious distance.

Linda 058 opened her eyes, resisting the urge to groan as she sat up and glared at the droid that had just injected her. Obviously Malak had wanted her awake for something and had introduced a counteragent to the sedatives in her system. Collecting her strength, the Spartan stood slowly, waiting for the Sith Lord. She didn't have to wait long.

"I want to show you something."

Malak began, motioning with his hand. The forcefield dropped and Linda glared at the restraints that had been fitted to her at some point in her drug-induced delirium. Malak, with false-politeness held out his hand and tilted his head in a mocking bow.

"After you, Milady."

Schooling her features, Linda walked past Malak, her hands testing the restraints and finding that they were fairly effective, though not impossible to break out of. Working against the restraints, Linda moved slowly until their little group had reached a lift and the guards accompanying her and Malak moved to the sides, their weapons trained on her. Malak punched in the destination and waited in silence as the lift rose. Studying the Dark Lord from the corner of her eye, Linda was surprised that he was still alive from the blow she had inflicted and even more surprised that he appeared perfectly healthy. The lift quickly stopped and Malak motioned to Linda to move. The Spartan's jaw clenched slightly as she moved, her eyes widening the barest of fractions at the sight before her.

"Look at what your people are trying to fight."

Malak's voice was flat and he watched the Spartan for a response. The slight show of surprise at the sight before her was enough to tell him what he needed to know. Obviously the UNSC and Covenant didn't have active fleets on the scale of the Republic's or the Sith's. Before the _Interceptor_ literally hundreds of Sith Interdictor ships floated in space, mingled with hundreds more support ships and thousands of fighters. The numbers of Sith manning the fleet were in the millions and the Spartan's eyes caught hyperspace displacements as even more ships joined those present. What caught Linda's gaze the longest was the dominating form of the Star Forge, the circular superstructure hanging between its syphoning pylons as energy from the Rakatan sun fed the monstrosity.

"Return her to her cell."

Malak ordered, watching as the Spartan was led away by her escort. Sighing, the Sith Lord turned back to the sight of the Sith fleet, a heavy frown on his face as he turned to his ship's captain.

"Is there still no word from the Lords of Malachor?"

The Captain shook his head, a frown similar to Malak's on his face.

"No Milord. A dozen other outposts are refusing to answer our orders and we've only established direct contact with the task force around Korriban. the garrison on Manaan and our holdings on Roon."

Malak ran a hand over his face in a nervous gesture. The Sith had fifty times the amount of ships before him but none were responding to his, Revan's orders.   
"How many of these ships are equipped to make the jump back to Revan's position?"

Malak asked finally, his thoughts divided between protecting the Star Forge and sending Revan desperately needed assistance. The Captain checked the fleet's logs and frowned.

"We can have twenty fully stocked and ready in six hours."

Malak sighed, crossing his arms as his brow furrowed. Contemplating the risk of moving more ships from holding the Star Forge. It was likely the other Sith had broken away from the centralized leadership of Korriban and the Star Forge and Malak knew Revan would have his head if they lost the Star Forge as well, friends or not.

"Recall all active forces from Korriban and any other outpost that answers. We gather here and we hold this system. I want those twenty ships ready as soon as possible and I want to know who is the ranking officer."

The _Interceptor's_ Captain saluted, turning back to his heavy workload and wondering how much longer it would be before he was promoted to full Fleet Admiral. It was only a matter of time with how few Sith forces were responding to their orders. Strange how fast the Sith Empire fell apart without Darth Revan or Malak holding them together.

Atton Rand, Lieutenant of the Delta Legionaries slowly materialized as his stealth field generator powered down. Walking cautiously into a well-lit control room, the Delta spotted a glowing hologram representing Halo and touched two fingers to the side of his helm.

"Base, this is Delta One."

Aven Sek'tai's voice answered a moment later and Atton relayed his findings, his fellow Deltas materializing as well and moving to secure the area.

"Go ahead, Atton."

Atton Rand reached out his hand, touching the hard light panel of the Forerunner map and watched, transfixed as the image of Halo spun slowly to reveal its interior.

"We've found the Silent Cartographer. No activity between base and here and Delta Three and Four are securing the other rooms. Lots of dead Covenant and a few dead UNSC but no activity."

Aven frowned, reaching out with her senses and cringing at the void along her senses. For some strange reason she couldn't sense anything down there, aside from the Deltas and she realized that was only because she was so familiar with their auras. Revan and the Jedi were there as well but she could barely sense the Jedi.

"Revan is on his way with the Jedi. Secure the site and send Delta Two back to meet Revan. Keep sharp, Atton. Something is down there..."

Atton rose a brow beneath his helmet. There was a hint of nervousness in Aven's voice and if Aven was worried, something was just not natural down there. Looking over his shoulder, Atton turned back to the display of the map, coking his head to the side as his heads-up display zoomed in on the map and showed storage compartments deep within the underground labyrinth that made up Halo's superstructure. Four indicators of the Delta Legionaries glowed blue on his heads up display and Atton paid them no mind, his hand tracing the strange runes of the cartographer's controls. The indicator light for Delta Three blinked and Delta Four's light blinked a moment later. Pulling his blaster rifle to his shoulder, Atton crouched, sweeping the map room before cautiously moving towards the other Deltas and flashing his indicator.

Delta Three moved cautiously through the vast hallways of the underground superstructure of Halo's underworld and paused as a sound filtered through his helmet. Running the sound past his sensors, the Delta immediately flashed his indicator, calling for aid from Delta Four and shouldered his weapon at the ready. Moving cautiously forward, his steps silent in his armor, Delta Three placed his left side to the corridor wall, lowering his stance and waiting for Delta Four to approach. Delta Four soon joined him and Three nodded to his companion. Delta Four made a sweeping gesture with her left hand, spinning her wrist and motioning for Three to watch the rear. Three complied, his breath coming in slow, measured pulls. A fifth indicator on his heads up display activated, showing that Revan had come into direct contact with Delta Two and the kill order was quickly passed down. The Deltas switched off their stun settings, charging their weapons to full power and waited, listening to the sounds around them. Five Human Marines came around the corner, pausing as one took point and two behind covered. Delta Four calmly tracked the Marine with her weapon, concealed within her stealth field before the Marine stopped, gazing at Delta Three's position. An MA-5B raised but did not fire as the Marine narrowed his eyes, gazing at the barely discernable blur the stealth field generator created.

"What in Damn Hell is taking you boys so long? Master chief is already en route to the control room. Keyes wants you back to base. We're hitting this so called weapons storage center the Covenant are so damned interested in so get yer asses movin!"

Sergeant Avery Johnson's voice cracked over the radio, causing the lead Marine to jump. The Marine collected himself, not lowering his guard as he pulled his left hand from his weapon's barrel and clicked the radio.

"Roger that, Sergeant. Falling back and moving to the surface."

The Marines pulled back, withdrawing from their mission to re-secure the Cartographer and slowly made their way to where Captain Jacob Keyes was staging an assault against a Covenant-held site that Covenant communications were calling an ancient weapons bunker. Delta Three and Four stayed their shots, listening and recording the new information before Delta Three deactivated his stealth field, stood up straight and motioned to Four to fall back.

"One this is Three, Four and I overhear-"

Delta Three looked up, spotting the glint of an MA-5B barrel and had no time to react as bullets shredded through his personal shield and his armor, killing him instantly. Four Marines moved cautiously to the body while Delta Four measured her options.   
"Shit... shit! Its one of those Sith, isn't it? Aw man, Captain's gonna have my ass! He said not to antagonize them! Aw Man!"

The leader complained.

"Fuck! I thought it was a freaking split-face!"

A second Marine moved to the dead Sith's side, pulling the mask off and checking for a pulse before shaking his head.

"No good. I hear McKay's unit went missing around these parts and we shouldn't take any chances. It was these bastard's choice to not cooperate."

The response was never heard as Atton arrived on the scene, his fire joining Delta Four's in avenging their fallen comrade. At a cost to five UNSC Marines, the Deltas had lost one of their own. Revan and Bastila arrived on the scene moments later with Delta Two and the Dark Lord sighed at the sight, strapping his saber to his belt and lifting Delta Three's weapon. Handing the rifle to Bastila, Revan knelt, unstrapping the belt and sidearm, fitting them around the Padawan's waist while Bastila froze. Revan's hands were uncomfortably close to her waist and she shivered slightly at his touch, frowning in silent question. Sensing the young woman's discomfort, Revan quickly fastened the belt to the Padawan's waist, taking back the rifle and shouldering the weapon. The image of the Dark Lord of the Sith, so accustomed to being seen with a blazing crimson saber using a common soldier's weapon was bizarre and Bastila rose a brow at the sight, shifting uncomfortably at the thought of how close those hands had come to her.

"Sabers only work at a certain distance. I think you can appreciate the need for another weapon."

Revan's voice was about as gentle as it got, as if he were making an apology for nearly molesting the Padawan and Bastila narrowed her eyes, now suspicious.

"Why would a Jedi, let alone a Sith Lord need such weapons."

Revan shook his head, moving to the corridor the Marines had come from. Pushing himself against the wall, Revan moved from his cover, running across the gap between the wall and the corridor to the other side, taking in the sight down the hallway. Seeing no movement and sensing nothing, Revan leaned from his cover, taking aim with Delta Three's blaster rifle and narrowed his eyes.

"Look down this hall, Padawan."

Bastila frowned, moving as she had seen Revan move and glanced cautiously around the corridor after checking through the Force that it was clear.

"What am I looking at?"

Bastila asked impatiently, feeling anger beginning to work its way into her. Revan's mind-games were becoming annoying.

"See that dead Covenant at the end of the hall? The green and orange one?"

Bastila nodded, staring at the dead Jackal with a small frown.

"Think if he had friends and one of those nifty shields they carry that you could hit him with your lightsaber from here? Or use the Force to send them scattering long enough to get to them?"

The Padawan measured the distance closely before scoffing.

"Of course. I may be a Padawan but I did not come here to be insulted!"

Revan made no move, turning his masked face to meet Bastila's angry gray glare.

"These weapons don't operate like ours. Its important we learn to adapt to the new fighting methods of our foes. Just because you don't always _need_ a blaster doesn't mean you won't at some point..."

Revan moved to where Delta One and Delta Two were moving Delta Three's body and waited for Bastila to follow him. Delta Four covered their backs as they moved back to the Silent Cartographer and Bastila strapped her saber to her belt, crossing her arms over her armored breastplate and shivering slightly. She'd never had a man's hands that close to her body before, at least not outside training and battle and it had a most strange effect on her. A flush colored the Padawan's cheeks and Revan sighed to himself, sensing the poor girl's thoughts. He wasn't going to apologize for doing something that might save her life, and extension save him a headache but he wasn't exactly proud of how he'd frightened the girl. He'd wait until the other Deltas were gone to speak to her for his reasoning. He'd faced foes plenty of times without a lightsaber and the Padawan needed to learn, fast that you didn't always have a lightsaber at your disposal.

"Doctor, get down here."

Revan's voice broke the heavy silence that had fallen over the Deltas and Bastila and the Padawan jumped slightly as the Dark Lord stared at the holographic map of Halo, Delta Three's blaster rifle held by the shoulder-strap over his shoulder. The comm cracked and Aven's voice answered.

"She's outside right now but I'll get her and escort her down."

Knowing the Cathar would by herself but deciding Aven's presence would be appreciated, Revan acknowledged, glancing at Delta Four.

"One, Two, stand guard. Four, drop the act."

Immediately, Delta One and Two took up defensive positions while Delta Three, moved to the wall, leaning heavily against it. Revan moved to the soldier, unstrapping her breastplate and frowning at the wound she had taken while firing at the Marines. One of the projectiles had ricocheted and pierced the side of Delta Four's armor. Unstrapping her help and lifting it free, two brown eyes, complimented by short, flame-red hair came into focus in the dim lightning of the map room while the young woman pulled her tunic up slightly, staring at the wound as Revan pressed his hand to the area around the wound.

"Saw you limping earlier, why didn't you say anything?"

Revan's voice was quiet, only loud enough for Delta Four to hear and the Delta shook her head, swallowing.

"My fault Three got hit, Sir."

Revan said nothing, his masked face turning to meet the young woman's.

"Mira. You know better."

The former Mandalorian slave nodded, sliding down the wall slowly, with Revan's help while the Dark Lord motioned for a medpack. Bastila saw the other two Deltas were occupied and glanced down at her belt, flushing slightly when she realized she had a medkit attached to Delta Three's belt as well. Pulling the medkit free, the Padawan worked her way to the young woman's side, checking the wound and frowning much as Revan had. It was deep and blood was oozing steadily from the wound. Pausing in her assessment to glance at Revan, Bastila was surprised at the fact that she had not sensed the Delta's wound.

"It's a Mandalorian thing."

Revan stated, having read the Padawan's trail of thoughts. Bastila frowned at Revan, looking back to the wound before she pulled a set of tweezers from the medkit.

"Better wait for the Doc."

Mira muttered, her face ashen and beaded with sweat. Revan took a gauze pad from the medkit, adding pressure to the wound to stem the bleeding while the Padawan injected Mira with some painkillers. The former slave relaxed some, a small amount of color returning to her face while Revan shook his head and huffed with a half-laugh.

"Bet you wish I'd left you on Nar Shaddaa now?"

Mira shook her head, her breathing light.

"Not on your life, Rev."

Revan's eyes flickered beneath his mask and he nodded. Mira had been a slave under the Mandalorians and in his search for the ancient artifacts of the Rakatans, Revan had come across the young woman on Nar Shaddaa, working as a bounty hunter. Immediately recognizing the girl's Mandalorian training, Revan approached her with an offer she promptly threw in his face before she had spotted the bald, tall former General that was escorting the shorter man. Realizing it was Revan, Mira warily accepted, curious as to the Republic's former Fleet Commander's presence. She'd been taken alongside sixteen other people, trained and then added to a four-person team, the Deltas. The other Deltas were all stationed on the Star Forge, making certain its commander wasn't going to turn on Revan and Malak and Revan had decided to leave Delta One through Four on Malak's ship as a precaution to Malak, should the apprentice come under danger.

"You used your training, they got the jump on Three and you waited for assistance. This bullet would be somewhere else, probably around here if you'd opened fire on them immediately and then I'd have two dead Deltas instead of one."

Revan motioned one of his hands to the area of Mira's heart before returning to her wound. Doctor Halfan and Aven Sek'tai arrived moments later and the Cathar immediately took over, working quickly, quietly and efficiently to remove the projectile, the splinters of the armor and stem the flow of blood from the wound. Within a half hour, Mira was standing on her own, a slight pained limp in her step but otherwise fit. Revan's shoulders relaxed at the sight, his mask following the Delta's movements cautiously before he nodded to himself. Mira would be fine, otherwise Anara would throw a fit.

"The wound was deep but missed any organs or arteries. She was lucky."

Halfan glanced down at the dead Delta, shaking her head. The man didn't even have a chance. Glancing at Revan, the Cathar was about to speak when Revan tensed, his head snapping to where they had come from and a curse reaching his lips.

"Kriffin Hell. Atton, guard Mira, Two with me. Aven, safeguard Halfan with your life."

Revan moved like a blur, Delta Two sprinting to catch up while Bastila stood with a confused look on her face. A distant explosion in the general direction of the Sith base brought the Padawan into action and she quickly followed Revan and the Delta.

Sith Sergeant Tyronius Acklay stared at his prisoner before looking back to his fellow crimson-armored elite. The other Sith, a young Corellian he had never bothered to get to know merely stared back at him. At the end of the corridor three silver-armored Sith troopers were milling about the entrance to the small structure before they all turned as one to the new arrival that had somehow breached their barricades and reached the interior of the base. A hulking Covenant Elite stood, coated in a layer of red, human blood and smiled at the humans, charging forth, its plasma sword slicing apart the three Sith in moments. Tyronius and his fellow Elite immediately shouldered their weapons firing along with the assault droid and ended the Elite's life but more Covenant moved in to take its place, their black armor marking them as Covenant special forces. Tyronius glanced at the prisoner, seeing the young woman looking at him curiously before he moved to the forcefield generator, deactivated the device and promptly took a plasma bolt to the side of the head. Lieutenant McKay stared down at the dead Sith in surprise before she grabbed his weapon, rushing down the ramp and turning, along with the other Sith that had moments before been guarding her. The Sith pulled a frag grenade and threw it, motioning to McKay to run and the two moved deeper into Halo, nearly colliding into Revan and Delta Two.

"What the Bloody Hell is going on?"

McKay tensed, wondering if she should try to fight or run while the red-armored Sith explained.

"Black-armored Covenant somehow managed to infiltrate the interior. No news on the outside."

Revan pulled out a datapad from his belt, entering a set of commands before glancing at McKay.

"No hard feelings but you did try to shoot me."

McKay scowled and shouldered the unfamiliar weapon while Revan quickly snatched the blaster from her hands, tossing it down the corridor at Bastila Shan's feet as the Padawan approached their position.

"A few of your fellow Marines ambushed one of my Deltas, you can take their weapons if you wish. We're leaving and you're welcome to go wherever the Force you came from. Have a nice day."

With that, Revan motioned to Delta Two to escort the Marine clear of them and back to the dead Marines while Bastila approached his side quietly, nervously holding the lightsaber she had borrowed from Revan.

"Why are we still here?"

The Padawan asked. Three silver armored Sith came around the corner, firing wildly behind them whole blue bolts of plasma splashed along the floor at their feet.

"Any others?"

The Dark Lord asked. One of the Sith shook his head while the other two took defensive positions and Revan nodded, glancing to his side and seeing Bastila opening her mouth to speak. Revan raised a hand, signaling the Padawan to wait and pressed a finger on the datapad. An explosion rocked the former base as the engines on the Sith fighters and the Sith transport overloaded and the Dark Lord of the Sith turned to his Jedi companion.

"Making sure they don't follow us."

Revan stated, handing Delta Three's blaster rifle to one of the Sith troopers who had lost his own rifle. Bastila quickly followed Revan back to the map room where Delta Two had joined them, the Marine Lieutenant McKay curiously absent.

"She seemed upset over the dead Marines, had to stun her."

Revan shook his head, smirking beneath his mask.

"I'd think less of dear Lieutenant McKay if you didn't have to."

Delta Two smirked beneath his visor before he moved to the front of the corridor, covering where Revan and Bastila had just come from. Revan looked around at the remnants of his forces before he sighed, deciding it was time to move.

"Four, those transmissions you intercepted, where did they say Captain Keyes was heading?"

Mira hefted her helm and checked her heads-up display's logs, finding the coordinates the Marines had used when speaking to one another and indicated the area on the map of Halo. Revan was silent for a moment, checking their own position and smirked slowly.

"We can come up from under them if we use these tunnels. I'm certain the UNSC or the Covenant was kind enough to leave us some transports?"

Delta Two nodded, motioning to where he had left a stunned McKay.

"Past the ambush point, there were four of their _Warthogs_ as they call them."

Revan nodded, motioning for the Sith to move and they quickly arrived at the vehicles, Lieutenant McKay lying at Bastila's feet as the Padawan stubbornly refused to leave the woman to her fate. Revan made no arguments, examining the vehicles carefully. Dead UNSC and Covenant were strewn about the area, obvious a battle had taken place at some point in the recent past.

"One, Two, secure the perimeter."

Revan glanced at Delta Four, being supported by Doctor Halfan while Aven watched the rear.

"Lieutenant Freena."

The red-armored Sith approached Revan, saluting.

"Take Privates Selar, Koler and Jervox in these two transports here. Delta One and Two will divide and ride along with you."

Revan motioned to two of the warthogs, ignoring Bastila's surprised look. She hadn't seen Revan exchange much more beyond orders to the Sith at the recently overrun base and that he knew each soldier merely by their Force-presence was surprising. Especially for a Sith Lord.

"I don't suppose I need to explain to you the concept of one driving and one using the weapon?"

Revan joked, drawing a chuckle from the red-armored Sith.

"No sir!"

The Sith saluted and moved to the three silver-armored Sith, passing along the orders while Revan glanced back at Aven.

"Anara, are you good to drive?"

Doctor Halfan nodded and Revan motioned to another warthog.

"Aven on the gun, Mira shotgun."

All three nodded and moved to the vehicle while Revan glanced at Bastila.

"We're not taking her."

Bastila adopted a stubborn look and Revan scowled.

"I'm driving then."

Bastila glanced at the three-person warthog with a frown while Revan moved to a dead UNSC soldier, removing an ammunition belt, a sidearm and an MA-5B and setting them inside the last UNSC transport. Revan and the other Sith mounted the vehicles, taking a moment to familiarize themselves with the controls before the four warthogs and the remnant Sith began driving through the sprawling network of underground tunnels that crossed all over Halo, heading to where Captain Jacob Keyes was fighting with the Covenant over a rumored weapon storage facility while the Master chief moved with Cortana into Halo's control center. None, aside from a few terrified Covenant knew of the rising tide as the Flood, destroyers of the Forerunners; was awakened.


	14. Chapter 13: The Flood

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 13: The Flood

Lieutenant Melissa McKay slowly opened her eyes, fighting off the feeling of nausea as she listened to the familiar purr of a warthog's engines. Half-aware of her surroundings, half asleep the ODST glanced wearily at the driver of the vehicle, her blood running cold when she spotted the armored form of Darth Revan. Fully awake now, McKay felt for a weapon, finding nothing while Revan sighed, the sound audible even over the roar of the warthog's engine.   
"You are unarmed and I might add it would be suicidal to shoot me while I am driving this... primitive thing. I'm going to return you to your people and then I am going to have a nice long talk with Captain Keyes... I feel a sudden desire to murder large, large amounts of Covenant and I honestly don't care how that gets done. I'm sure your people can see reason and perhaps stop shooting my people on sight?"

Revan's masked features turned to stare at the UNSC and McKay frowned. Was he offering yet another alliance? Maybe the Covenant's persistence at wiping out all humanity was starting to piss him off too.

"I can't say and I wouldn't trust your intentions either way."

Revan nodded calmly, pulling the looted UNSC weapons from where they rested at handed them to the ODST. McKay took the weapons warily while Revan followed the Sith occupied warthog in front of him.

"At least you're honest. Lets just say if your people play along nicely I won't glass your homeworld. Oh, and I can pull that information from your minds if I so choose. Am I clear?"

Revan's voice had been conversational, pleasant even but the threat was clear. Work with me or I give the Covenant a lesson in brutality at your people's expense. Behind Revan, Bastila Shan frowned deeply, annoyed at the seemingly one-tracked minds of the Sith, often to violent ends but also troubled at the fact that Revan was absolutely serious. He would burn an entire world, dozens of worlds to glass and ashes to get his hands on a rumored weapon that Halo promised. That thought alone was enough to give the Padawan pause in her dealings with Darth Revan.

The small Sith convoy came to a sudden stop after literally hours of driving through an impossibly spacious underground labyrinth of tunnels and walkways lining Halo's superstructure. The Sith moved from the vehicles, all heavily armed and on guard immediately while Revan approached Aven with Bastila and a blank-faced Lieutenant McKay in tow. The Lieutenant knew she didn't stand much of a chance head on with Revan and wouldn't make a move unless absolutely necessary. From what she understood of the situation the armored man had a very bald, very tall friend with a very powerful ship overhead and she did not doubt for one moment that his threats were idle.

"Strange... I don't sense Captain Keyes..."

Revan's brow was furrowed beneath his mask. He could have sworn he'd sensed the UNSC Naval officer when they'd approached the area. Consulting a datapad with a simple map of Halo and rechecking his position through his mask's sensors, Revan felt an echo through the Force; pain, fear and death. The obvious signs of battle.

"Two, Selar, Koler with me."

Revan moved ahead of the Sith gathered, Bastila frowning and looking to Lieutenant McKay before the UNSC soldier checked her weapons and followed. Maybe if she got him alone she could stand a chance at escaping and it was likely the only way she'd get away from the other Sith. Noticing the red-skinned alien glaring at her, McKay hurried her steps, catching up with Revan and the Three Sith accompanying him. The Sith ignored the ODST's presence and Bastila made a move to follow before she sensed something behind her. Turning, the Padawan frowned when she saw nothing. Moving closer to the other Sith, Bastila glanced at the numerous corridors and tunnels leading into their location and shuddered slightly at the echoes through the Force. Something terrible had happened, _was_ happening; of that she was certain.

On the Covenant cruiser _Truth and Reconciliation_ a floating Covenant Engineer had finished repairing and rebuilding a rust-colored device. The device had been badly damaged in the bombardment of the Sith encampment but as soon as the Huragok had spotted the complex and pristine mechanical innards it had, with the assistance of a dozen others of its kind; taken the device back to the _Truth and Reconciliation._ A simple static charge ignited deep within the rust-colored device and two crimson lights switched on, marking the _eyes_ of the device. A humanoid hand of metal opened and closed and the droid sat up, glancing left and right as its hands opened and closed and it took stock of its situation.

"Statement: It appears you meatbags have repaired my ingenious components adequately..."

HK-47 reviewed his memory core, finding a set of orders Darth Revan had transmitted to him from his mask. Catching up to date within several seconds, HK-47 reached out, his metal fingers closing over a fully assembled blaster rifle. Had the droid a mouth it would have curved into a sadistic smirk as the eyes glowed brighter and it turned its gaze to the floating Huragok. The Covenant Engineers didn't seem to notice the movement of the droid, so fascinated by its design and function that the danger did not register.

"Gleeful Exclamation: Oh Master! You are too generous!"

The sound of a blaster pack charging drew the attention of the Huragok as they attempted to take the blaster from HK-47's hands, curious as to its function. The rust-colored assassin droid shared that knowledge with the Huragok, discharging a high-powered blast into its floating form. Spotting two more Huragok floating around the room, HK-47 took aim and terminated the Covenant, its eyes dimming to a yellow-orange shade as it moved to the doorway. The door opened and a Covenant Elite entered, a look of confusion on its face for a moment before it spotted HK-47. The droid tilted its head slightly, taking aim and shot the Elite in the face. The Elite's shields flared from the high-powered blast and failed and it drew a plasma sword, lashing outward. HK-47 activated his defensive protocol, dodging the slash and firing at the Elite.

"Assessment: No meatbags detected, beginning search and destroy protocol."

HK-47 took several grenades from the smoking corpse of the Covenant Elite, moving to fulfill Revan's last orders to him. Find and destroy all Covenant forces, ignore all others. While it annoyed the droid slightly that it would not get to kill any Jedi or human meatbags it came across unless attacked, HK knew there were hordes of Covenant to terminate. His Master was a thoughtful one, trusting his assassination protocol to clear the Covenant threat from Halo. As the demonic rust-colored hunter-killer droid moved through the Covenant ship, killing small scattered groups of Covenant the bridge crew moved stared at the internal displays of their ship, confused by the loss of so many of the crew within.

"Two, watch McKay, Selar the rear, Koler up front."

Private Koler nodded, his silver armor almost a dark gray in the darkened maze of Halo's underground tunnels. Revan stood in the middle, a lightsaber in his right hand and a flashlight laying out a beam of blue-white light ahead of him. Delta Two's gun-mounted light as well as McKay's provided some additional light while the other two Sith had activated their helmet-mounted lights. Revan had switched on his helm's night vision setting but had kept the light on for the other's benefit, save Delta Two. Gray and white shapes and passages stretched before him and Revan frowned, the flashing blue indicator of HK-47 providing him some comfort. The droid had self-repaired and was likely following out its final order, to make the Covenant pay dearly. Revan smirked slightly at the thought of the mayhem and bloodshed on the Covenant lines before he caught a shape in the distance and pinned his light on it. A dead UNSC Marine lay against a wall, the area around him opening into a small corridor that seemed to wrap around a ramp according to his mask's sensors. Private Koler quickly shouldered his blaster rifle, unholstering his pistol from his waist as he took the light Revan offered and attached its specific design to the bottom of his pistol. Discreetly checking the room before stepping over to the body, Koler knelt beside the fallen Marine, spotting an M6D at the man's side. Studying the scene, Koler came to a quick conclusion.

"Suicide."

Frowning, Revan motioned for Koler's sidearm, taking the weapon and light as he flicked off his night vision sensors for a better look. A bullet, there was no doubt, had entered at the base of the man's chin, coming out of the top of his skull and not penetrating the human's armored helmet. The position of the gun, lying at the man's side and out of his hand suggested suicide and Revan frowned at the crazed look on the man's face. Fear, outright terror seemed to hang in the air, clogging his senses and Revan felt a shiver travel up his spine as he held the pistol out to Koler. Koler detached the light, holstering his weapon and returned the light to Revan. Revan unholstered his own pistol, given to him when he had been at the UNSC Alpha Base and too wounded to fight with his saber and attached the light to the base of the blaster, flicking it off and reactivating his helm's night vision sensors as he holstered the pistol.

"Koler, fall to the rear, Selar eyes on prisoner, Two up front."

The Sith moved like professional soldiers, executing Revan's commands in seconds and Delta Two proceeded to sweep the sight while Revan knelt beside the dead Marine and pulled a small chip from the man's helmet. A recording device.   
"Hmm."

Running a quick diagnostic, Revan tossed the chip to McKay who caught the device reflexively and attached it to her own helm. An image of the Master Chief trying to placate the Marine as the man took shots at him appeared before the camera before the man shouted in an insane babble incoherent words and turned the gun on himself. Revan's mask's sensors picked up the information and displayed it to the Dark Lord and Revan glanced back at McKay, seeing a confused and troubled look on the ODST's face.

"UNSC Jarheads are hard-core. Any veteran has seen the cremation of billions on the worlds we lose to the Covies and whatever scared this man..."

McKay trailed off, her attention turning from escape from the Sith to anxiety. The air felt thick, suffocating and the hairs on the back of her neck and on her arms were standing on end.   
"Maybe it was just his time. Pressure can build for a while before it bursts..."

Revan stated, surprising McKay. Maybe he wasn't some barbaric brute after all.

"Two, report."

Revan asked over the ever-open communications line. Two's indicator flashed and Revan gave McKay a hard stare a moment before he made a hand motion for Private Koler and Private Selar to take up forward defensive positions. McKay, seeing that the rear was no longer guarded briefly toyed with running before she heard a noise in the distance down the way they had come. Backing against the wall and sliding back to back with the Sith, McKay listened to the distant sound of Covenant weapons fire, burned into her mind from years of fighting. Revan had waited, frowning when Two's indicator continued to flash and made a hand-motion to the two silver-armored Sith troopers to cover him. Breaking cover and moving around the corner, Revan turned again and climbed down the ramp, spotting an opened doorway and another dead UNSC soldier.

"Two, report."

Revan stated again. The indicator continued to flash and Revan frowned at that. He had sensed a burst of fear from Delta Two before it was gone and now all he could sense was pain. If the Delta was dead the indicator would dim altogether, flashing either meant combat or injury. Hearing no weapons fire, Revan peered around the corner into the doorway and promptly fell back, his lightsaber dropping to the ground as he instinctively grabbed the object obscuring his vision and pulled. A squeaking wailing chirp filled Revan's ears as the sound of flesh scratching and tearing echoed in the room before him. Pulling the pod-like form free, Revan got a split-second look at a gaping mouth with a sharp likely venom-filled pincer and tentacles waving before he threw the offending creature away from him and watched it explode against the wall. Delta Two's flashing light had dimmed altogether at some point and as the Dark Lord of the Sith got a hold on his dropped lightsaber, Revan's night vision seemed to play against what he was actually seeing.

The floor seemed to pulse, moving as Delta Two lay in the middle, only discernable by the transponder indicator on Revan's mask. Within a second Revan made the distinction of the pod that had attacked him with the seemingly moving floor and he held out his hand, sending a powerful Force-push into the room. Dozens of Flood pod-forms exploded from the powerful push but dozens more scuttled and crawled towards their potential victim, hunger and pain echoing very, very faintly in the Force. Revan ignited his lightsaber, swinging the blade in a twirling motion as it disintegrated three Flood pods that leapt at him. Turning, Revan ran, holding his lightsaber ahead of him in his right hand while his left hung behind, blasting a powerful storm of blue-white Force-lightning at the doorway. Revan all but ran into the wall at the top of the ramp and began running back to his fellow Sith, a shout coming from his lips as he ran past.

"Run!"

Neither Sith nor the ODST needed to be told twice as they followed Revan's crimson lightsaber that led their way through the darkened corridors. A scuttling screeching noise sounded behind the humans but none looked back, knowing that something that had sent Darth Revan running should not be studied too closely. Melissa McKay heard a cry of pain from behind her but did not stop, hearing a blaster answering the scream. One of the silver-armored Sith troopers had fallen and McKay caught out of the corner of her eye dozens of pod-like objects crawling over the screaming man. The other Sith had turned to fire and McKay caught a dark blur amongst the pods.   
"Two, give me a hand!"

Private Selar shouted, trying to shoot the Sith free of his companion Private Koler. Revan had slowed and was looking back at the scene, his face hidden beneath his mask but twisted in a look of confused curiosity. He'd sensed Delta Two die, though he could clearly see the black-armored Sith running amongst the pod-like creatures. The curiosity fled the Dark Lord's mind when Selar's helmet-mounted light fell over Delta Two's face, illuminating a pod deeply buried along the man's neck and upper chest. The face was not visible but Revan sensed nothing and before he could shout for Selar to run, Two's mutilated form had ran into him, smashing his fists against his once brother in arms in a blind rage as Flood pods scurried about, a few trying to burrow between the cracks in Selar and Koler's armor while dozens more gave chase to McKay and Revan.

"Bloody, keep moving!"

Revan shouted to McKay. McKay wholeheartedly agreed, her face white as a bed sheet as she fired her MA5B behind her blindly, emptying the sixty round magazine.

"Grenade?"

Revan shouted, falling in shoulder to shoulder beside McKay as the two ran. Revan had attached his saber to his belt, opting for the pistol as he sprayed blasterbolts back as quickly as he could. McKay pulled a frag grenade from her harness, popping the pin and letting the round explosive fly. Revan hastily threw a Force-barrier behind them, slowing the advancing Flood and reducing the danger to them as the grenade detonated, consuming scores of Floor. Not bothering to look over their work, ODST and Sith Lord ran for the rest of the Sith and their vehicles, both skidding to a halt as they came upon a small group of Covenant. in a two-story loading room. Being on the top floor, Revan and McKay were spared a few precious seconds before the Covenant forces opened up on the two with plasma weapons and needlers. Revan dodged the deadly plasma and needler shards while McKay moved for cover and the Flood quickly caught up, spilling out of the narrow tunnel and into the room. Many fell to the first floor, shocking some of the Covenant while dozens more continued after Revan and McKay. With the Covenant busy fighting off the parasite, Revan and McKay quickly exited the loading room, running down yet another dark and narrow hallway as they worked their way to the Sith in the stolen warthogs.

"Aven, Atton, Mira, anyone! Get the bloody vehicles warmed up and get ready to run!"

Static answered Revan's shouted orders and the Dark Lord holstered his pistol, drawing his lightsaber and turning. In the same motion as the turn and drawing of his weapon, Revan's crimson blade snapped to life and shot through a Covenant combat form, one that had been a UNSC soldier by its uniform. McKay kept running, taking the reprieve offered by Revan's motion to reload her assault rifle. Revan quickly matched McKay's pace once more and the UNSC soldier snapped her MA5B's bolt, holding the weapon behind her and emptying the mag once more. Running into the well-lit walkway housing the other Sith and Bastila, Revan let out a shout and ripped his mask from his face as bright light blinded him temporarily due to his still active night vision. The night vision setting cleared and Revan spotted the other Sith already on the vehicles while his remained in the rear with Bastila sitting in the driver's seat, a small pout on her face as she looked at the controls.

"MOVE IT! "

Revan bellowed, letting McKay run past him and into the passenger seat while he climbed on the back of the warthog and quickly slid his lightsaber to his belt while simultaneously turning the craft's chain-gun on the corridor as Flood of all shapes and sizes appeared, scuttling about. Atton quickly pressed on the gas, his warthog screeching as its tires turned in place a moment and kicked up smoke before it bounced away. The other Sith followed suit while Bastila struggled with the strange controls.

"Now would be a very good time to leave!"

McKay shouted to Bastila. Bastila, seeing a Flood out of the corner of her eye instinctively grabbed the blaster pistol on her waist and fired a blind shot at the leaping pod. The pod exploded in mid-air, showering the side of the warthog with yellow and gray gore before Bastila found the starter and pushed down on the gas. The shots from behind stopped suddenly and a loud metal thump sounded but neither McKay nor Bastila looked back as they raced away from the Flood. After several moments of silence and covering close to a half mile, Bastila and McKay looked to one another, both panting heavily from exhaustion and anxiety and Bastila turned her eyes back in a cold glare to give Revan a piece of her mind. The Padawan's gray eyes widened comically when she saw only a swaying chain-gun and McKay quickly grabbed the wheel, keeping the warthog steady as she caught a glimpse of their missing passenger.

"Well, shit."

McKay muttered.

"We. Are. Dead."

Bastila breathed out, spotting the Sith in the vehicle ahead of her staring back. The convoy slowed and they turned while Aven leapt from her vehicle and landed on the back of Bastila and McKay's. Bastila whitened slightly and McKay wore a blank expression at the enraged and troubled look on the Twi'lek's face.

"Where the Bloody Hell is Revan you stupid Schutta?"

Bastila flinched, stammering out a shaky confession of not knowing while McKay pressed her lips together tightly, her eyes flickering with a troubled look. The man was a bastard, yes. He'd killed her companions and other UNSC soldiers and he'd threatened to dismember, torture her and tear apart her mind but recalling the screams of Private Koler and the animalistic, rage-filled wail from Delta Two's ravaged form the ODST wouldn't wish that on anyone. Well, maybe the Covies but the split-faced alien bastards had it coming. Maybe she wouldn't wish it on any human.

Close to a kilometer behind, Revan had rolled over the walkway and landed thirty yards below on a lower walkway, free of the Flood. The Dark Lord of the Sith lay for a moment, dazed and pained as his ribs cracked and he stared up at the distant lights on the walls of the cavernous underground tunnels. A distant wail of a Flood combat form brought Revan's mind to the present and the Dark Lord of the Sith stood, crimson lightsaber snapping to life in his hand as flood leapt from the walkway above to his own, closing in on his solitary form.

"Bugger."

Revan muttered, sweeping his lightsaber across a leaping Flood pod and obliterating the creature before five more leapt at him. Pain erupted in the Dark Lord's side and he shouted out a wordless roar as he was run into by a Flood combat form, this one having been a powerful Elite at one point. Bones could be heard beneath Revan's armor cracking a the force of the impact and Revan was sent across the walkway to the ground, sliding a yard or two as the tentacles from the combat form's rotting and mutilated _arms_ flailed about, trying to tear into him, through his armor. A Flood pod wrapped its tentacles around Revan's neck and the Dark Lord felt a stinger pierce his neck. A surge of mind-splitting pain filled Revan and the Dark Lord twisted, his lightsaber slicing into the Flood combat form and killing it while he bucked and kicked to get free of its massive weight. The pincer drove in deeper and Revan's vision blurred as the Dark Lord grasped the pod in his hand and began squeezing even as more pods crawled over his prone form.

Having fought his way from the same scene Revan and his Sith had come across an hour before, Spartan John-117 walked on a raised platform overlooking the Flood-infested swamp around him and cursed as he tried to find higher ground for an evac from Echo 419. Wishing he had kept Cortana rather than leaving her at the Control Room, John spotted something that gave him pause as he stared at the floating orb before him. As if the Flood and humans from another galaxy that could move things with their minds wasn't ridiculous enough, the damn thing turned a glowing blue-white eye to him and spoke.

"Greetings. I am the Monitor of Installation 04. I am 343 Guilty Spark. Someone has released the Flood. My function is to prevent it from leaving this installation. But I require your assistance. Come. This way."

The thing's voice was chirpy and more suiting a librarian than a strange mechanical drone but if the things that had attacked him and Captain Keyes and the others were the Flood, that sounded like the best damn news he'd heard in a while. 343 Guilty Spark neglected to tell the Master Chief that he was not the first or only _Reclaimer_ he had drafted and the Spartan felt a sudden sense of nausea as an amber light flared around him, almost like a collapsing shield and he vanished from the platform. Echo 419, also known as Foe Hammer called frantically for the Chief, having lost his signal. If the Chief, Captain Keyes, Cortana, Lieutenant McKay and Sergeant Johnson were all MIA it was a huge blow to the UNSC forces on Halo. Foe Hammer continued calling for some time after before she was diverted to a nearby mountain chain to assist another group of besieged UNSC.

In a dark tunnel near the point where Delta Two had fallen, Sergeant Avery J. Johnson sat against a wall, breathing heavily as he wiped a gauze pad against his neck. A Flood pod had attached itself to him but for some strange, miraculous reason it hadn't injected him and burrowed into his brain stem. Instead the pod as slithered away with its fellows, seeking out more victims and Johnson had fought tooth and nail to get to where he was. He'd heard the Covies fighting the Flood but none of his people, that is until he'd heard the report of a blasterbolt, unique in its sound compared to UNSC or Covenant weapons. The Sergeant had moved down a level and deeper into the structure to escape the roaming Flood when he had inspected his wound. Unknown to the Sergeant a heavy dose of radiation received by him during the battle of Paris IV when he had captured Covenant plasma grenades and his diagnosed Boren's Syndrome had saved him from infection by the Flood. The radiation from the plasma grenades he'd captured from the Covenant had given him migraines, minor amnesia and a few small brain tumors. Johnson had no time to get the thirty weeks of chemotherapy and had opted to go back to the front lines to kill more Covenant. The results had been painful and were wearing the aging human down but pure hatred of the Covenant had fueled him to keep fighting and Johnson was quite simply one of the UNSC's best.

A wordless shout, almost inhuman from down the corridor caused Johnson to ready his MA5B and the Sergeant cursed under his breath, pushing down the corridor and staring at the scene before him. The leader of the Sith that had helped Masterchief save Charlie Company and had later splintered from the UNSC/Sith alliance lay on the ground, struggling with Flood pods as they crawled all over him. A crimson blade glowed in the man's hand as it swept the pods clear of him and Johnson recalled the deaths and infection of his comrades at the hands of the Flood. The Marine lined up his sights into the mass of Flood and at Revan and he squeezed the trigger. The MA5B roared as it spit out sixty 7.62 mm rounds into the scene.


	15. Chapter 14: Clashing Tides

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 14: Clashing Tides

Darth Malak glared coldly at the twenty Sith Interdictor-class vessels before him. It had taken far, far longer than the projected six hours and as a result a pile of dead officers were currently being incinerated for their incompetence. Four more Sith vessels had managed to actually catch up with the initial twenty and as a result twenty four Sith Capitol ships would be returning to Revan's position. Measures had been taken in the extra seven hours it had taken to fill the holds of the ships with fighters, droids and all the supplies Revan would need to take and hold Halo from the Covenant and UNSC alike and Malak's brown eyes tinged with yellow as he thought of Linda-058. His instincts told him to kill her but he wanted her alive, wanted her to see what the Sith were capable of and he wanted to, more than anything understand the coldness he saw in the woman that was reflected in Revan, himself and many of the veterans of the Mandalorian wars from both sides. It was something the Jedi Masters had never taught and it had, on some level intrigued Malak. It was all the better to study the actions in another rather than himself and Malak paced the bridge of the _Interceptor_ impatiently as he waited for the only Sith capable of holding the shattering Empire together aside from himself or Revan. All three of them in fact.  
"Why did you bother bringing _us _into this?"

Former Jedi Master Kreia's voice held such disdain, some superstitious part of Malak's mind thought it would strike him dead where he stood. Turning, Darth Malak resisted the urge to shudder as he looked upon Darth Revan's personal assassins, the Lords and Lady of Malachor. They'd finally deigned to answer, likely having gone silent for some ploy to assassinate scores of Jedi or Senators and Malak had no wish to know. Beside Darth Traya, Revan's once Master stood her new Padawan, a horribly disfigured human that was short than Malak but similar in appearance. The similarity caused Malak's stomach to turn slightly as he knew the woman's choice for an apprentice and her subsequent brutality of Darth Sion's training was in no small part to her personal dislike of him. She blamed him for making Revan weak but wouldn't dare to kill him without Revan's orders. The last of the Sith Lords that Malak knew were the most powerful beyond himself and Revan was clad completely in black, his face obscured and painted ebon while a skull-shaped white mask with red tribal-like marks drawn in and fitted over the top of his face.   
"Traya, Nihilus, Sion."

Malak nodded to each in turn, sensing the insanity boiling beneath Nihilus' mask. The man had tried once, only once to drain Revan after a battle and Revan had spared the man, only for his unique power. Nihilus was able to manipulate the Darkside so well it would draw the very life out of a being, something he found useless against Revan, Malak and Traya, at least to the point that would guaranteed victory. The man was dangerous but then, Malak had seen the corruption that had spread amongst their numbers since the close of the Mandalorian wars and knew these were the only Sith that could hold the Empire together. If they didn't kill each other first.

"In Revan's and my absence there will be a council of Sith Lords and Ladies to decide the fate of this galaxy. Nihilus, you will continue to operate on Malachor V, feel free to feed off of anything there outside of your students but be mindful not to feed too much."

The tall, faceless Sith tilted his head once, his vocal cords so ravaged by his use of the darkside his words were incomprehensible. He hadn't quite gone off the edge from hunger and was only killing here or there to stave off his hunger. There were only ten dead Sith on Malak's ship to attest to that fact and Nihilus had learned not to face Revan, or Traya or Malak alone. Glancing sidelong at Sion, Nihilus considered draining his companion before he controlled himself. Malak would kill him on sight if he tried that and he wasn't ready to die. Maybe he never would if he drained just enough life force... enough to keep the hunger away for good. Nihilus didn't know the more he fed off life energy, the more his hunger grew.

"Sion you'll be going to Korriban to maintain order. Kill all you like but keep that old fool of an academy master working. We'll never get any new students if they all die during the training."

Sion said nothing, made no motion of acknowledgment and Malak narrowed his eyes. Slowly, Sion tilted his head to Malak, acknowledging Malak's superior strength.

"Leave."

Malak ordered and both turned, leaving the bridge while Malak turned to Traya.

"So how bad has Revan mucked his foolish quest up?"

Traya asked, her solid black eyes giving Malak pause before he spoke.

"We lost the _Revenge _with all hands. The Deltas, the Cathar, Aven and a few soldiers are left on the surface of the object Revan found but they won't last long... There was hardly twenty the last time I checked."

Traya did not look bothered by the information as she moved past Malak, staring at the Star Forge through sightless eyes.

"And I suppose Revan wants me to oversee this monstrosity until he returns?"

Malak nodded, choosing his next words carefully.

"You're the only one he trusts to watch the Star Forge. You're the only one who hates it as much as him."

Traya nodded absently, knowing the line of logic she had drilled into Revan's head. You can't expect a machine to do everything for you. Still, with Revan's presence in the Force all but gone with his departure, the Lords and Lady of Malachor were plotting to separate themselves from the other Sith, eliminate their foes from the shadows before taking over where Revan and Malak left off. That was until Malak ruined their plans and came back. Now they were once again slaves to Darth Revan's will. Revan was indeed powerful to have such a long grasp over his subjects. That and Malak made a fairly effective weapon of terror when he put his mind to it.

Deep beneath the decks of the _Interceptor_, Spartan Linda 058 had been surprised at the sudden lack of measures taken against her imprisonment. The droid had stopped drugging her and the food was actually being delivered via the mouth and not an injection. Lying on the floor of the cell, Linda did a series of painful but necessary crunches, situps, pushups and other exercises her enclosed space allowed as she kept her mind sharp, going over the layout of the Sith vessel that she had seen when she'd been able to roam it under escort and later under guard. The Spartan, like all Spartans was highly intelligent and knew she wouldn't stand a chance of escape unless in her own galaxy. Continuing her work-out, Linda spotted Malak entering the cell-block with a black-cloaked elderly woman at his side.

"You were right... she is interesting..."

Darth Traya stated, studying the aura of the Spartan. Having trained her senses to make up for her loss of vision, Traya was able to discern the Spartan's presence more clearly than Malak or Revan or the other Dark Jedi and Sith and she was surprised at the seemingly built-in stealth ability the being had within the Force. They could be dangerous and she thought briefly of her Force-blind assassin army on Malachor and how effective the small army was against Jedi who could not sense the danger until it was already upon them. Smirking slightly, Kreia's sightless obsidian eyes flickered as if actually_ seeing _the Spartan as she studied the red-haired human.

"I suppose Malak has mistreated you?"

Kreia asked. Linda said nothing, continuing her exercise and merely listening.

"Conditioned for war, Malak. This one is more stubborn than a Mandalorian."

Malak nodded absently with Kreia, finding it comforting that the woman had forgotten her disdain of him for a time.  
"You should kill her, immediately."

Malak knew Revan had ordered it and had been serious, not joking. Still, he wanted a chance to study the woman, see her reactions to just how outclassed her people, even the Covenant was when compared to them.

"It would be wise... but I feel I can learn something from this one."

Kreia snorted, answering with no small amount of disdain in her voice.

"Likely she will teach you new and painful ways to die. Don't go soft on us, Malak. I'm sure Revan ordered you to kill her and he likely meant it. Your friendship with Revan may give you certain... advantages over the other Lords but know his patience is not infinite."

With that final, grudging warning, Darth Traya removed herself from Darth Malak's presence, taking a transport to the Star Forge where she would continue building up the Sith forces and holding together what little remained of their Empire thanks to Revan's obsession with ancient doomsday weapons. Malak lingered outside of Linda's cell, his brown eyes following the woman as she moved up and down with each push-up. Shaking himself out of his trance, Malak made to leave, stopping as he glanced down at the Spartan.

"We're going back to your galaxy in a few hours. The escape I know you are planning will fail. For your own sake, wait at least until we know if your people and mine are at war."

The Spartan paused, halfway up and glanced briefly at Malak before looking back down to the floor and continuing her routine. Malak rubbed his eyes as he left, wondering if Kreia was right and he was too soft. Still, something about the woman intrigued him, the distant look in her eyes that he saw in his own and Revan's from time to time and he wondered absently if it was his own mind playing tricks on him.

Bastila Shan was being held literally at gunpoint by Delta Four, a young red-haired former Mandalorian slave known as Mira. McKay had been moved to Mira's former vehicle and was likewise being held at gunpoint by Delta One, Atton. Aven had gone back to their former position with everyone save the two Deltas and McKay and Bastila reached out through the Force, finding only a screaming pain that echoed in the walls around her rather than Revan's presence in the Force. Not wanting to say anything for fear of losing her head, her lightsaber which was in reality Revan's lightsaber was in Mira's free hand and Bastila glanced briefly at the young woman, who had taken off her helmet and was staring back towards where the others had gone, a small headset attached to her head.

"It wasn't my fault!"

Bastila said, hearing the unmistakable sound of Mira's gloves tightening on the blaster pistol's grip.

"If Rev's dead. You're dead."

Mira stated coldly, never moving her eyes from behind them. Revan had, in his own way saved her and she wasn't the type to make friends or respect people easily but Revan, Revan was something else. Two light brown eyes closed slowly and snapped open when her headset crackled and Aven's voice could be heard.

"He's not here and I don't sense him. Kill the prisoners."

The order was loud enough for Bastila to hear and the Padawan's eyes widened as Mira pointed the blaster pistol right between her eyes and frowned at the fear in the young woman's face.

"Confirm."

Mira stated, listening as Atton did the same. No sense killing prisoners Revan held a specific interest in without actually confirming the orders.  
"Damn..."

Sergeant Avery J. Johnson stated, smoke rising from the end of his MA5B. Years of training and combat kicked in and Johnson reloaded the weapon, the bolt clicking into place as he cautiously scanned the debris the dead Flood had left behind. Johnson calmly kicked a deceased combat form over the ledge of the walkway before he looked down at where Darth Revan had been moments before.

"Well, shit."

Revan blinked through his mask, his lightsaber discarded but still active as he squeezed the Flood pod burrowing into his neck. The pincer had pierced his neck, causing him to begin bleeding out but he had managed to stop it from injecting him completely. The result was a significant drop in strength, coordination and consciousness and Revan felt like he'd just had his head knocked around by a Terantek. The broken or cracked ribs he felt burning at his sides didn't help much. A light had flared, blinding him temporarily and he could barely make out his surroundings as the tentacles of the Flood pod flailed. Collecting the Force, Revan concentrated on the Flood pod, pushing the Force around the creature until its struggles paused and it compressed to a ball of yellow-gray flesh and blood roughly an inch in diameter. The sound of flesh and bones grinding together ceased as the remains of the Flood pod dropped lifelessly to the ground and Revan sat up slowly, his hand closing around his still active lightsaber as the crimson blade cast an eerie blood-red glow on his surroundings. A large corridor surrounded the Dark Lord of the Sith and Revan stood slowly, his hand absently holding the side of his armor as he used the Force to clear the poison from his body along with his injuries and pain.

"Greetings Reclaimer, I am 343 Guilty Spark, the monitor of Installation 04. Your display with the Flood was most impressive and we must hurry if we are to activate containment protocol and stop the spread of the Flood."  
Revan stared blankly at the orb-shaped droid, its glowing blue eyes shadowing its silver-metal frame. Swallowing back a cough, Revan cleared his throat, ignoring the urge to groan as he took stock of his surroundings. The area was poorly lit but he supposed there was little need for a droid to have good lighting. Walls rose high on either side of him in a symmetrical and uniform design as dimly lit light fixtures cast a blue and yellow glow of his surroundings. Keeping his saber active and in hand, Revan saw that the droid, 343 Guilty Spark was moving away, rising as its voice sounded over some ancient comm device. Another orb appeared before him as the Monitor left a Sentinel to guide Revan through the scattered Flood and protect him and the Dark Lord rose a brow in both suspicion and annoyance.  
"You're an AI the Forerunners left behind to contain the Flood... which I am assuming is that parasite that attacked me and my men?"  
The Sentinel that led him through the complex didn't seem to hold the same personality matrix as its predecessor and merely waited for him to follow. With a sigh, Revan dug into his belt pouch, pulling out a syringe of kolto and painkillers and injecting himself before following slowly, his body strengthening with each minute that passed. The Flood was clear of his immediate area but Revan could hear them scuttling and scratching about behind the walls, almost as if they would burst through and flood the area with their rotting and decayed presence. The air was thick and smelled of death and Revan had closed off his Force-senses to his surroundings, relying on his mask's motion sensors as the very presence of the Flood in his senses made him feel ill. The communications lines on his mask were dead, likely jammed by the superstructure of Halo and the mask's limited sensors could not get a firm fix on his location.

Spartan John-117 climbed atop a ramp leading to an access shaft in the depths of Halo, his MA-5B spitting out a steady burst of automatic fire. The Spartan's rifle clicked and he immediately reloaded, his hands a blur to normal human eyes as genetic engineering, a lifetime of training and a powered exoskeleton suit of armor worked together in a way only the Spartans could harness. Flood poured from every gap and shaft and passageway around the Master Chief and the Spartan primed a frag grenade, letting it fly before leaping over the Flood gathered around the ramp. The grenade detonated, sending shrapnel and gore every direction and the Chief kept moving, Sentinels flying around him and firing a type of laser beam he'd never seen before at the Flood forms around him. Moving onward, the Chief wished silently that he'd had time to bring Cortana with him from Halo's control room before he collected himself and pushed onward, pausing momentarily to stare at a UNSC Marine's corpse. He felt fatigue and exhaustion and the adrenaline high he was coming down from ripping his body apart from the inside and the Chief knelt to collect the Marine's tags, pocketing them and moving on as he ignored 343 Guilty Spark's rambling. The Marine had to be one tough bastard to get that far and the Spartan separated his mind from his exhaustion, going onward as he fought towards the Library of Halo where the Monitor said was an Index that could help contain the Flood.

Tens of thousands of kilometers from Halo's structure, twenty-five flashes of white against the backdrop of space heralded the arrival of Darth Malak and the Sith's counterstrike force. The Covenant ships gathered, numbering only thirteen immediately began launching fighters and landing craft to reinforce their forces on Halo's holy surface as they fought to cleanse it of the humans, the Sith and the parasite. Two Sith Interdictor cruisers moved ahead of the advancing Sith fleet, launching dozens of Sith fighters to counter the incoming Covenant ships. Superheated plasma torpedoes from the Covenant ships tracked and struck the fast but relatively un-maneuverable Sith capitol ships, their superheated charges losing most of their lethality when met by the Sith ship's shields. The Sith fighters were not so lucky and those that couldn't outmaneuver the plasma tracking them from the Covenant fighters were destroyed, their armor melting like paper as they exploded or spun out of control.

"Fighters are taking heavy losses as was expected. The Interdictor ship's shields are holding off most of the damage from the plasma but the armor on those ships can't take a direct hit without the shielding."  
Malak nodded absently as the _Interceptor's_ tactical officer gave him an update. The Covenant ships were slower than the Sith vessels and more maneuverable than all of them except for the _Interceptor_ and her unique design. The Covenant ship's shields held fairly admirably against the turboblaster fire of the Sith Interdictor ships but Malak could see the strain through the Force before the shields collapsed and powerful blaster cannon emplacements from the Sith capitol ships tore holes into the Covenant ship's armor. Interdictor gravity well generators, much less advanced than those of the _Interceptor's_ were turned on the Covenant ships preventing microjumps and escape and Malak watched as several Covenant ships moved back, using the cover of the massive gas giant to block their sensor sweeps.

"The Covenant ships are pulling back."  
Malak watched as one of the Interdictor cruisers fired a blast from its forward facing Ion cannon. The white energy bolt struck a fleeing Covenant ship, immediately destroying its shield and white laces of energy crawled along the Covenant ship's hull. The massive electromagnetic energy pulse fired from the Interdictor took most of its energy and only its reserve generators, a cannibalized version of a Mandalorian battlecruiser's massive generator kept it from being destroyed by return fire from the Covenant ship.   
"It seems the Interdictors are a match to their cruisers..."  
Malak muttered, his brow furrowing in concern. Traya was using the Star Forge to construct more Interceptor-class ships but it would take time and while they could literally pour hundreds of Interdictor ships into the battle, Malak knew they were needed to keep the rest of the Sith at bay should the Star Forge fall under the interest of another Sith Lord. Traya was the only one Revan trusted with the Infinite Empire's greatest achievement aside from Malak or himself and the apprentice of the Dark Lord knew it would be better to wait and bring more Interceptor-class cruisers than the Interdictors. While Interdictors were the workhorse of the Sith Navy, Malak had no doubt that his own ship, while half the size of an Interdictor was at least five times as effective in combat. Superior numbers were all that had won the skirmish and while no capitol ships were lost from either side, Malak knew the Covenant were gaining reinforcements and that time would inevitably be on the Covenant's side.

"Have the _Reliant _and the _Fury_ move landing craft to Halo's surface. I want two fully mobile and operational armored Legions down there as soon as possible."  
Malak's orders were sent and the Sith fleet began locking tractor beams onto disabled Sith and Covenant craft, their crews prepared to treat their own injured and imprison the enemy's while scientists and technicians prepared to study the Covenant craft and see how their weapons and systems could be used to advance the Sith's. Malak crossed his arms over his chest, his dark eyes studying the distant structure of Halo before he turned to the holo-display in the center of his bridge which displayed most of the star system.

A galaxy away, Darth Traya, former Jedi Master Kreia of the Jedi Order and member of the Sith Triumvate of the Lords of Malachor watched the massive expanse within the Star Forge's superstructure fill with parts of Interceptor-class cruisers. The ships were powerful, based on the technology and design of the Rakatan's ancient designs and a number of other systems taken from Mandalorian, Republic and various other sources. At the center of the vast expanse sat the only Revenge-class ship in the universe with the destruction of her sister ship. Staring at the ship through solid black eyes, Traya sighed, turning her attention to a Sith technician.

"Have all of the _Interceptor's_ records been analyzed?"  
The technician nodded, keeping her attention on the console in front of her as she studied the information from the Sith's encounter with the Covenant and the UNSC.

"The safeguards against the AI that infected the _Revenge_ have been taken into account for the new ships and are already being added to the _Devastator_. It took much longer to add the defensive hardware to the Interdictors Malak took with him but I am confident it should pose no further threat."  
Traya nodded, satisfied. Her worry over the information she'd reviewed over the Covenant and Sith encounter had been of the Covenant's artificial intelligence that had infiltrated and all but destroyed the _Revenge._ It was the will of the Force that had spared the _Interceptor_ the same fate and it had taken hours to find the countermeasures needed to keep Malak's little expeditionary force in the air so to say.

"What of the Star Forge's droid Legions?"  
Crab-like assault droids and humanoid-shaped battle droids lined the platforms of the Star Forge's interior, loading themselves into dropships before being ferried to the partially constructed warships.

"We've managed to make enough for forty Interceptor-class cruisers and for the _Devastator_ to have a full compliment. Skeleton crews are being pulled from the main fleet and are being brief on how to use the new ships and the maintenance droids are being constructed as we speak. I estimate a week before the ships and crew are ready for combat but barring any unforseen consequences, there should be an adequate strike force ready for Revan and Malak by the end of this week."  
Traya nodded absently, wondering when she'd been reduced to a caretaker for Revan's toys before she curled her lip in distaste and moved away, letting the Star Forge's chief technician and her crew work in peace. The Sith's massive losses to traitors and the Republic in the last week could not be replaced and while the largest portion of allied Sith forces were gathered at the Forge, the others could stand a good chance of overthrowing them if they were clever enough to band together. The Republic fleet, while weakened and spread out from the war could be a threat as well if they ever came in force and Traya, while relishing the idea of the Star Forge's demise knew it would be needed in the coming battle with the True Sith. A thousand years of preparation on the True Sith's part for revenge could not be overturned by what remained of their forces and Traya highly doubted the Republic or other Sith were as well informed as what remained of Revan's Sith Empire.

"At the end of this week we will concentrate on refitting the vessels we already have."  
Traya's voice carried to the Star Forge's chief technician and she nodded in reply to the former Jedi Master, burying herself in her work while Kreia's black-clad form disappeared into a lift and the Dark Lady of the Sith entered the Star Forge's observation platform, kneeling and allowing herself to fall into a meditation, searching the expanses of the galaxy and beyond for her wayward master and former student. Traya's lips curved in an ironic smile as she thought of Revan teaching her as she once taught him before she closed her eyes, losing herself in the Force while the Sith prepared for a war with the Covenant, the Republic and the splintering factions of their own Empire. The True Sith would have to wait until things were more under their control but Traya knew it was only a matter of time before the chaos the galaxy had fallen in at the close of the Mandalorian wars was exploited by the instigators of its bloody conclusion. Her student, her master Revan had been lucky, if one believed such things by overcoming his Sith foes on Malachor's surface and while Nihilus and Sion were unstable and dangerous, they were also necessary as the Sith would eventually come to investigate if Malachor V's Trayus Core ceased its purpose.


	16. Chapter 15: Convergence

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: Long delay, I know, but it was a dry period for me and inspiration (Writer's Block/Time constraints) Hopefully you enjoy this installment of To End All Wars, sorry for the wait, again, whoever is still with me.

Chapter 15: Convergence

Anger was an interesting emotion. The layers, the intensity of anger could be called many different things; ranging from annoyance or disgust to blinding rage. Revan was about at blinding rage as he dodged a rotting Flood Combat form, severing its arm and driving his elbow backwards into the creature's center of mass. A popping sound answered the Dark Lord's efforts and he ignored the thump made by the falling combat form's corpse, instead drawing his saber in a sideways arc that rendered the carrier form Flood into nothing but seared flesh. The pod exploded, coating the Sith Lord's once pristine armor and robes in a greenish-yellow gore that the former Jedi ignored as he ran at a grueling pace, his body twisting to the side to avoid a combat form that had once been a Covenant Elite as it pounced out at him. There was no time to stop, no time to react beyond the flick of a wrist and he didn't even bother making sure the Flood that he struck died, he just kept running. Revan had quickly discovered there was no end to how many of the Flood would swarm him. They were very appropriately named, a part of Revan's mind mused as he gathered the Force in the palm of his free hand, scattering the carrier forms before him into exploding pods of gore. The anger he felt at the situation was almost blinding, and Revan focused the rage into a weapon, turning it against the horrifying creatures that threw themselves at him in ravenous desperation. All of the anger he'd harbored since bringing his ship to the Milky Way galaxy rose to the surface and lightning crackled around the Dark Lord as he sprinted through the massive corridors of Halo's superstructure. There was no time to focus the lightning into a bolt and it simply fried any Flood that neared him as he moved past, fueled by a power the Milky Way hadn't seen for nearly twenty thousand years; when the Rakatans and their Infinite Empire finally withdrew from their war with the Forerunners to save themselves.

Dozens of kilometers from Revan's position, Spartan-117 sprayed a burst of fire from his MA-5B, his hands grasping the weapon tightly as he fought down his own reaction to the Flood. Fear was there, but separated from his actions and the Spartan turned, smashing a flying carrier form with his fist as it tried to find purchase on his armor. The pod exploded into a cloud of gore that splattered on the Spartan's MJOLNIR armor and he moved on, wiping his faceplate as he finished off the clip in his weapon. The assault rifle clicked and John swallowed reflexively, his hand moving and replacing the empty magazine with a fresh one as he slammed the bolt home and turned back around, sprinting as quickly as he could. Flood combat and carrier forms scurried around him, coming from every possible hole and passageway he could see. Having no other option, the Spartan II quickly climbed onto what he could only assume was a structural support column and he carefully took the few extra seconds his elevation provided him to pick his targets as they slammed into the base of the column, trying to climb over one another and feast on the Spartan. The Library was close and John could see more and more Sentinels fighting with the Flood. Still, the Sentinels were flying around and he was on the ground. A chaingun would've been nice about then. Or maybe a HAVOC Tactical Nuke.

Bastila Shan did the only sensible thing she could when someone pointed a loaded weapon in her face when she was disarmed. Drawing on the Force subtly, Bastila concentrated on the weapon in Mira's hand and disengaged the power pack. Like any well-trained soldier, Mira immediately realized her weapon was inactive and made a move with the lightsaber she'd taken from Bastila, only to find herself out of the Warthog and on her back on the walkway as the Jedi ignited her borrowed weapon and moved towards Atton and McKay. Mira sat up groaning, shaking her head side to side and almost vomiting where she sat. Her vision blurred slightly by the sheer force she'd struck the ground, Mira stood shakily and stumbled to the side of the captured Warthog as she grabbed her blaster rifle from where it rested between the driver and passenger seat. Her comm crackled but she was too concussed to hear anything as she turned and raised her weapon to Bastila Shan's retreating form, blinking against the blurred image as she tried to make a clean shot. Bastila felt the warning in the Force and quickly found herself dodging Atton Rand's shots as he turned from McKay, backhanding the ODST to stun her as he turned to the bigger threat. A Jedi could be on him before he even shot his weapon and he ignored McKay for the time being, carefully picking his shots while he spotted Mira moving from the side of her Warthog. Ducking slightly to avoid one of his deflected shots, Atton stopped suddenly, his eyes widening behind his mask as he turned around and started the engine of the Warthog. Bastila had managed to get to the back of the vehicle when the human craft took off, its wheels burning as Atton left with more speed than was likely wise. Coughing at the smell of burned rubber, Bastila turned back around, cursing as she dodged Mira's poorly aimed shot and charged the Sith, stopping short when she saw Aven, Doctor Halfan and one of the red-armored Sith approaching her position in their own stolen Warthog. It wasn't the presence of the Dark Jedi that stopped Bastila, but the shock at what was following them.

"Mira, stand down!"  
Aven's voice yelled, relaying the command via the comms to Atton as well as she sped past. Bastila rushed to the Warthog she'd just liberated herself from, glancing at a still-dazed Mira as the former Mandalorian slave struggled to climb into the side of the vehicle. Helping Mira on board, Bastila forgot their previous battle in favor or another potential ally. The Warthog took off in much the same manner as Atton's had and Bastila ignored the shaking in her hands as she guided the craft along the walkways, nearly overtaking Aven's vehicle as Flood spewed from the side-passageways behind them, their forms fast, though not as fast as the Warthogs. Executions and accusations could wait, there were bigger threats to them, Sith or Jedi alike.

"Status?"  
Darth Malak asked as he paced the bridge of the _Interceptor_. Being able to command the ship in a space battle was not really his strong point. Despite having experience and a good head on his shoulders, Malak preferred the hands-on approach to a situation and would much rather have been manning one of the stations on the ship than simply passing along orders. Restless, Malak ignored the lingering doubts he felt in his mind and concentrated on the now. There was a battle to win and a Dark Lord of the Sith to recover. Everything else was secondary. That was, until the intruder alarm broke out on his ship. Malak's eyes narrowed as he turned to the ship's captain, ordering him to continue with the battle while he moved to personally take care of the intruder. Malak knew it wasn't a Covenant soldier and he silently chastised himself for not following Revan's earlier commands.

Spartan-058 Linda moved past the barrier of her cell, raising a brow at the power loss. Apparently there had been an overload in one of the ship's systems and the forcefield had shut down for a moment. A span of 3.4 seconds if she were counting and she took advantage, stepping past the barrier before it reactivated and immediately moving down the hallways with enhanced speed that a normal human would find impossible to match. Stealthily, the Spartan moved to the side-corridor adjacent to her cell and spotted two Sith soldiers wearing silver armor. The Sith hadn't noticed her, though they were talking about the power fluctuation. Moving with stealth a panther would envy, Linda was only two meters away from the closest Sith when the ship shuddered violently from a Covenant attack and the guards stumbled, turning to grab for the walls to support themselves before they found themselves face to face with their prisoner. The Spartan reacted instantly, driving her hand into the closest Sith's chest and then turning and snapping the neck of the second. The first Sith was leaning against the wall and coughing violently as red blood seeped from the cracks in his armor. Linda struck forward, breaking the soldier's neck before the body of his comrade had even hit the ground. Pausing a moment as she considered the intelligence of her actions, Linda quickly grabbed both of the guard's bodies and moved them out of the line of sight of the doorway as she donned the second Sith's undamaged armor. The armor was small on her, though not small enough to raise alarms at a passing glance. Lifting one of the fallen Sith's weapons, Linda moved into the adjacent corridor and cursed as a Dark Jedi approached her, eyeing her with a confused expression as she failed to salute.

"Show the proper respect, scum. You're lucky we're in the middle of a battle or I'd kill you where you- wait a moment. You're not-"  
The Dark Jedi was on his back before he had time to react, his chest caved in from the Spartan's kick and Linda lowered her stance, staring at the corpse in surprise. She'd hit Malak just as hard and he'd still been alive. The Sith's hands moved and Linda did the only smart thing and shot the Dark Jedi in his face. A security camera recorded the incident and activated the ship's internal alarms, causing Linda's studying of the weapon the Sith's hand had fallen on to end with her merely taking the weapon and sprinting away instead of learning of its practical uses. The Spartan was able to run past two patrols and a squad of red-armored elite Sith before she came to an abrupt stop as the lift at the end of the corridor she was in opened to reveal Darth Malak.

"You should have stayed in your cell."  
Malak stated, his hand already holding his own lightsaber. Linda considered her options, knowing the man's strength and resilience though not knowing the true extent of the Force's powers. Deciding to take a chance, Linda fired off a burst of several shots from her blaster, noting the surprise on Malak's face as the Force delayed the warning, forcing the Sith Lord to dodge the attacks instead of deflect them. Linda soon learned not to underestimate a Force-user when she found her weapon smoking in her hands and Malak's forearm captured in her grasp. The man had crossed the distance between them in a blur, even to her Spartan senses and she was hard-pressed to grab his weapon arm before he brought his weapon down on her face.  
"All the bones in your arm should be shattered... how-"  
Malak swept his leg behind Linda's, the Spartan tripping, though she maintained her hold on Malak's weapon arm and dragged him down with her to the floor. Malak's expression was cold, though a flicker of uncertainty crossed his eyes as he struggled with the Spartan, their arms locked in a life and death struggle.

"Milord!"  
Malak raised his head at the call, the distraction enough for Linda to gain the leverage she needed to throw him to the side. Pain seared her as Malak's saber ran across her shoulder and she rolled as a blaster bolt struck where she was laying a moment before. Obviously the Sith had stopped using stun bolts on her. The pain in her shoulder was distracting, agonizing and the Spartan wondered to the reason as a blaster bolt struck her in her chest. Falling back, Linda grunted as she tried to move once more, the pain from the blaster bolt unpleasant, though not nearly as bad as the wound she'd received from the lightsaber. The Spartan had no idea that a Jedi's connection to the Force and to their weapon enhanced its effectiveness and she lay still a moment, taking another shot from the Sith to the stomach as he approached her warily, looking between Malak and the Spartan. Linda felt her consciousness fading as she nearly blacked out from the pain of her wounds, her green eyes filled with pain a moment before she turned them to the Sith Lord towering over her, lowering her eyes to the crimson blade of Malak's saber as it moved to her throat.  
"You've killed three of my men, I won't have you-"  
Malak stopped speaking, his eyes suddenly alarmed as he sensed Revan. The battle had been distracting him but he'd dwelled too long on thoughts of Revan and his last order to _kill _Linda and he was assailed with an image of the Flood. Malak's saber wavered before he flicked the switch and deactivated the weapon, staring down at Linda, though not really looking at the Spartan. Unable to move from her injuries, Linda merely stared back at Malak, awaiting the inevitable. Assuming he was sparing her so he would torture her, Linda was surprised when the apprentice of the Dark Lord raised a hand to his head before activating his communicator and issuing an order.

"Get those Covenant ships out of our way immediately. Lord Revan needs our help. That is the priority. I will take care of this nuisance myself."  
Malak added the last part to the solider beside him and the Sith soldier that had shot Linda looked to Malak, snapping off a salute as he turned and sprinted down the hallway. Malak looked back down at Linda blankly, his eyes filling with a cold fury as he saw the armor she wore, armor taken from one of his soldiers.

"You will drift in space between life and death, long after the Covenant turns your people to atomized ash, and burns your worlds to glass, you will remain a phantom in space, left to the fate the Sith would have kept you from, had your people not chosen to make enemies of us."  
Linda registered the threat and met Malak's stare dead-on, not backing down. The Spartan blacked out at that point from the pain of her wounds, an all too human weakness that even the Spartan II's were not immune to. Linda felt a flickering of consciousness as the Sith armor was removed from her, a familiar weight settling against her body as the Sith began entombing her within her MJOLNIR armor and sealing her in a standard UNSC cryo-pod. Drifting into a gray state of oblivion, Linda had enough time to contemplate the look of hesitation in Malak's eyes as he condemned her to her fate before she drifted into a blank REM sleep, uncomprehending to the universe outside of her unconscious mind. The pod containing Spartan 058 was released into the blackness of space, the Sith fleet dumping the other recovered UNSC pods to join the sleeping Spartan's as they made their way for Halo, Ion cannon-fire streaking across the blackness of space and impacting the shielded Covenant craft. While not as advanced as the Rakatan/Sith hybrid Capitol ships like the _Revenge _and _Interceptor_, the modified Interdictor cruisers were able to go toe to toe with the Covenant, not overwhelming the aliens as their reinforcements slowly tricked into the system, but giving them the access they needed to Halo to recover their leader.

HK-47 crouched, his blaster rifle thrown over his shoulder and resting on its strap while he held two Covenant plasma rifles in each mechanical hand. A sadistic gleam of pleasure crossed the Hunter-Killer droid's crimson photoreceptors as they focused on a Covenant Grunt, the tiny alien slumbering at the side of the corridor HK just happened to need to pass through to reach the bridge of the Covenant cruiser. Recalling the design specifications he'd reviewed of the Covenant ship, HK made a mental note within his computer core to reference the design to his Master. While not as intimidating as a Sith bridge with its massive tower that overlooked the rest of the ship, the Covenant's design for their warship's bridges was logical. Imbedded deep in the heart of the ship, the bridge was well protected from attacks from without and within. Something the assassin droid had enjoyed thoroughly as it required maximum contact with the enemy. Activating his stealth protocols, HK crept silently towards the slumbering Grunt, magnetizing the plasma rifles to the sides of his legs to wield a captured plasma sword. Positioning the handle over the Grunt, the droid's eyes seemed to smirk as the plasma blade hissed to life, melting through the flesh and bone of the Grunt and frying its brain before it could even give off a startled cry of pain.  
"Tactical Observation: The small meatbags appear to lack the resilience of the larger meatbags. Observation: Continued stealth will ensure a maximum of kills with little risk to my genius programming. Counterpoint: Lack of stealth will lead to more numerous confrontations as the hostiles will no doubt be able to track my position. Analysis: Continued stealth will be required to ensure this unit's survival. Anticipation: Master always said danger is the spice of life."  
Replacing his plasma sword with two plasma rifles, HK-47 turned his head left to right, observing a shift in the light spectrum around him. Adjusting his sensors, HK pinpointed a Covenant Elite stealthily approaching him and raised his weapons, firing on the Shangheili. The Elite was scalded by the superheated plasma, though a shield bubble appeared around him, the personal shields of the Covenant more reliable and protective than the deflector-based shielding of the Sith. HK's systems alerted him to a damaged system as his deflector failed from a charged plasma shot from the Elite's plasma pistol and he fired more shots than were needed to end the threat of the gold-armored Covenant warrior, his photoreceptors turning downward to observe the damage a charged plasma bolt had done to his armor unshielded. A glowing orange hole was surrounded in patches of black, where the heat from dozens of plasma rounds had stuck him in his time on the Covenant ship and droid noted how the Covenant's shields operated on a separate principle, blocking all energy, kinetic or otherwise while the Sith's blocked only the energy, still allowing physical matter to penetrate their shielding.

"Observation: UNSC forces with their primitive projectile weaponry should be approached with extreme caution. Use of projectiles against standard issued Sith shielding systems without proper bodyarmor may result in termination. Processing: Additional details needed before accurate safeguards can be made to confront UNSC weaponry. Conclusion: Covenant shielding systems will offer sufficient protection from all forms of attack, though power requirements will result in possible systems failure. Threat Assessment: Estimate twenty-three percent possibility of system overload through sustained use of Covenant personal shielding. Observation: Continued functioning will require eighty-four percent power capacity. Conclusion: Use of Covenant shielding only to be used in extreme circumstances or when confronted by projectile weaponry."  
HK took the shield generator from the Covenant Elite's corpse, tying it in with his power core and bypassing the safeties before he relayed it to a mental switch that could be activated within his neural processor. Switching between the Covenant and Sith shielding systems, HK settled on the Sith version of energy deflection, well aware of the threats of close-form melee combat. It was one of the reasons a Sith Interdictor could survive a direct hit from a nuclear weapon, but be severely damaged or destroyed by an asteroid or a collision. The shielding was designed to work with armored plating to deflect incoming energy, not physical matter. It was also the reason their landing bay shields allowed them to sustain solid atmospheres within the ship while able to send ships through the energy field. The physical matter met resistance, due to the flow of energy, but failed to pass through without an outside source of power. It was one of the baseline operational principles from which all their shielding equipment worked. Apparently the Covenant had taken a different approach and HK was certain if the power consumption issues would be addressed that his Master would be most pleased with his findings.

Darth Revan sat with his back against an ancient Forerunner doorway, his once-pristine red armor and black robes covered in sweat, blood and grime from hours of mortal battle done with only the Force and his lightsaber. Bruised and broken ribs made his ragged breathing painful and the Dark Lord of the Sith shifted slightly to ease his pain, the painful burn of a plasma wound from a gun-wielding Flood combat form protesting. Revan was in a relatively isolated room next to a computer terminal with runes and numbers in such foreign characters that he could not even make a comparison with any languages he knew. The furthest thing from his mind at the time, the language of the Forerunners flickered across the holodisplay, the solid lights forming into a complex computer code that rivaled the Sith's most advanced programs. From within the program, UNSC AI Serial Number CTN 0452-9 observed the Sith's leader with a frown on her holographic face. 343 Guilty Spark was leading John into a trap and she had no means of reaching him before he got to the control room and even then the countermeasures in the Forerunner database we so staggering that even her advanced programming was having difficulty bypassing the locks needed to let the Chief know what he was about to do before it was too late. The system had locked her out as soon as the Index was recovered from the Library and Cortana had been slowly laying in a set of command functions to pass long control of the index to her program, significantly reducing her seven year lifespan as a Smart-AI in the process, but it was a small price to pay for saving billions from the Halos firing. Pressing against the console, Cortana felt frustration enter her thoughts as she tried to gain the Sith Lord's attention by flashing random sequences across the Forerunner computer panel beside him.

_"Come on, look up! Hit the damned console!"  
_Revan's masked features jerked slightly as he attempted to fight off exhaustion and he grunted in pain as he tried to stand, his muscles aching as he staggered to his feet. Pain burned through him, making his vision white for a moment before it cleared, spots of red and black playing over his vision before they cleared to a dimly lit room with a computer panel that looked to be malfunctioning. Stepping to the console, Revan spared a paranoid glance over his shoulder to the doorway, wondering if the Flood he'd managed to escape from through a set of side corridors and access shafts that were likely airways would buy him the time he needed to heal, or in the very least rest. Laying a hand against the console to take some weight off his feet, Revan blinked as a flicker of blue and green light coalesced into a face on the panel. Furrowing his brow and blinking against pained exhaustion and likely a small amount of delirium, Revan saw again the faint features of a woman's face, soft and feminine though garbled horribly through the alien text. Revan stared at the image for a moment before he recalled his stay at the UNSC's Alpha base and the colorful AI the UNSC relied on so heavily to monitor the Covenant.

"Cortana?"  
Revan stated to the empty room, feeling foolish suddenly at giving his delusions form. The console beeped at him and Revan blinked, clearing his throat and stiffening as he crossed his arms out of habit, the pain making him drop them quickly to his sides.

"Well, if I am not insane and you're... somehow in a Forerunner computer panel... Why are you speaking to me? Your people made it fairly clear we wouldn't work together."  
A sequence of buttons flashed and Revan had the common sense to know they were a code of some kind. Deciding to type in the code, Revan jerked back in surprise as a life-sized representation of a humanoid woman appeared before him, green, blue and red glyphs crossing over her translucent body in clear annoyance as her eyes flared a smoldering red.  
"Its about damned time someone noticed me! I've been stuck inside this data processor for hours trying to let one of you barbarians know what was going on. Spark isn't sending you to somewhere to help control the Flood, he's setting you and the Chief up. Halo doesn't just kill the Flood, it kills everything with enough genetic matter to feed the parasite. Its why the Flood is on the ring to begin with, it was trying to stop the Forerunners and found the shielded rooms deep within where they were going to wait out the effects. This is only one of many rings and if it fires, the others will to and it will wipe out all sentient life within this galaxy. He is sending you to the control room in case the Chief doesn't follow through with activating the rings, he needs someone to physically activate the sequence and if he does, we're all dead."  
Revan leaned back against the wall adjacent to the console, observing the temperamental AI with a blank expression through his faceless mask. A sound, not mistaken by Cortana as teeth grinding together reached her before Revan let out an explosive sigh, his body twitching in pain at the action as he gave a mirthless laugh, filled with bitterness, anger and pain.

"I am going to tear that conniving automaton into pieces and melt down his parts, reassemble them and do it again. I will rip apart the wires to his subprocessors and program them only to feel pain, I will-"  
Revan swayed slightly, overcome by nausea and dizziness from his injuries combined with exhaustion.

"I think I will lay down for a bit..."  
Revan slowly slid down the wall, absently staring up at the glowering form of Cortana as she crossed her holographic arms and glared at him. Feeling a bit of pity for the man, despite what she knew and had been informed of, Cortana waited, staring at the man before he stirred from his place on the floor to struggle to his feet, grunting in pain as he struggled to keep from crying out in pain. Mandalorians didn't cry out in pain. Breathing deeply despite the white-hot pain it meant for him, Revan turned to the UNSC AI, giving a nod as his response as he moved from the room, back into the passageway that would lead him to the control room as well as the awaiting Flood. Cortana, knowing the man was unaugmented and suffering from injuries and exhaustion that would even give a Spartan trouble arched a holographic brow in silent respect for the man, her form flickering as it vanished, returning to the subsystems she was locked within in Halo's computer database. John and Revan would fight their war against the Flood and 343 out there and she would fight it within the ancient programs themselves. She could only hope one of them was successful.


End file.
